


Open Water

by unholyseraphs (orphan_account)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Attempted Murder, Bonding, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, First Blade, Fishing, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Mark of Cain, Mermaids, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Ocean, Sacrifice, Sharks, Starvation, Survival, Tentacles, Torture, humans as pets, octo!cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 08:30:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2806109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/unholyseraphs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only world Dean Winchester has ever known has been a world of water -- the ocean has taken over most of the planet, leaving few dry islands for humans to live on. In the village Dean lives in with his father and brother, there is a monthly sacrifice to be made for Them. The sea creatures in the deep, the ones that took his mother when he was only six years old. Dean hates Them with every fiber of his being, but when his younger brother, Sam, is sacrificed and thrown into the churning waters, he doesn't think twice before diving in and almost drowning.</p><p>He wasn't expecting to be saved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this kind of just STRUCK ME with inspiration, and I've been furiously writing it out.
> 
> Thank you to [Katy](http://dandelionwhiskey.tumblr.com/), my amazing beta, you never disappoint me.
> 
> Thanks to Tina, who is always fabulous and supportive of basically everything I write (only the good stuff).
> 
> Thanks to my readers and thank you for stopping by!
> 
> I will be adding other tags as the work goes along! :)
> 
>  ***Edit:*** I think I finally fixed the age continuity, I'm sorry guys, I can't math to save my life.

As the sun set over the horizon, Dean hauled the net up out of the blackening waters to see if it were full. His heart sunk when he realized it was mostly empty. Fish were coming up scarce these days, which meant they wouldn’t have much to eat this winter, nor would they have enough money to get by either. His father was going to be _livid_.

 

Dean gathered up what fish he could from the net, tossing them in a bucket, before slowly pushing up from the dock and walking back toward the house. They lived right off the dock, just like everyone else, but their house was much smaller than the others in their village. Calling the Winchesters poor would have been a kindness - they were so impoverished that John Winchester had taken to making deals with the sea creatures.

 

Dean would never forgive his father for befriending the things that had killed his mother.

 

“How was the net?” John asked as he glanced up from cleaning a few small fish he had caught earlier.

 

Dean held up the bucket, showing him the basically empty container. “I don’t get it,” he lamented, glancing back around at the ocean, as the setting sun glinted across its waters. “We’re _surrounded_ by the ocean, where are the fish going?”

 

John sighed, running a hand along his forehead. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Get inside, it’s getting dark.”

 

Nodding, Dean stashed the bucket near his father’s feet, and headed inside the house. Sam was sitting on the ground, learning to tie knots. His little brother was obsessed with knots and sailing. He wanted to be a sea captain one day, and Dean didn’t have quite the heart to tell him that since they were so poor, he doubted Sam’s dream would ever come true. Not because Sam wasn’t talented or smart, but because they didn’t know the right people to get Sam an in.

 

“Was the net okay?” Sam asked excitedly, turning to face him with bright eyes.

 

Dean gave Sam a slight smile, reaching forward to ruffle his hair. “Yeah, it was perfect. You did a great job, Sammy.”

 

“How many fish did it catch?”

 

Dean bit his lip, slowly sinking down onto the raggedy couch. “Not many,” he started, but quickly added, “but it wasn’t because it was a bad net, Sam. It was a _great_ net... Fish is just... scarce these days, that’s all.”

 

“Oh,” Sam said, his shoulders slumping. “I guess it’s because it’s almost that _time_ again.”

 

He rolled his eyes. Having a reminder that it was almost time for the yearly sacrifice was not on his to-do list. He didn’t like to think about the sacrifices the people on the island made. Especially since it always hit close to home; Sam had been too young to remember, but he did. He remembered as clear as day.

 

“Who do you think it’ll be this year?” Sam whispered.

 

“Probably the old guy two doors down,” Dean replied with a casual shrug. “He’s a pain in the ass anyway-.”

 

“Dean!” Sam gasped. “That’s _awful_.”

 

“Well, it’s _true_.”

 

The door clanged open and shut, making both boys turn to watch as their father walked into the house, looking haggard and worn out. John eventually walked over to sink into his old recliner. Dean hated how tired their father looked. It was partially his fault, he could have been doing _more_. He was attractive, young; he should have been offering his body to the older women in the town, they would have paid him decent money to sleep with them.

 

But he had made a promise to himself a few years back: no cash for ass. He had seen some of his friends doing it, and he wasn’t about to start using his body for money. Not unless his father explicitly demanded it.

 

“Do you know who it’s gonna be, Dad?” Sam asked, ending the silence.

 

John glanced at him, and Dean saw a sadness flash over his father’s face for a brief second, before it passed, and he shrugged. “No idea, Sam. Could be anyone.”

 

“Well, except us,” Dean said quickly. “ _Right_ , Dad?” The emphasis made his father glance at him, and Dean gave him the darkest look he could muster. “Right?”

 

“Of course, Dean. Why would it be one of us?” John snorted and waved his hand in dismissal. “Jesus, you think I’m a damn heathen, huh?”

 

“What do you want for dinner, Dad?” Sam asked, quick to end the awkward anger.

 

“What do we got?” John countered.

 

Sam stood and traipsed over to their small kitchen, which wasn’t even really a kitchen, just a room with a small icebox and a gas stove. “Fish,” Sam replied, which was always the answer. They were all tired of fish, but it was the only thing they had available to them. They were not rich like the other families; affording luxuries like steak, hamburger, or poultry was out of the question.

 

“Fish it is,” John said bitterly, taking a swig of his beer.

 

Dean sighed, slowly standing up. “I’ll help, Sam.”

 

****

 

“Dean, what happened to Mom?”

 

Dean glanced over at Sam, startled at the question. Sam hardly ever asked about their mother, so this was not something he had been prepared to answer. “Why do you ask, Sammy?”

 

Sam sat up in his bed, looking restless. “Because, I heard some of the other guys talking while I was out at the market today.”

 

Dean bit his lip, bracing himself for Sam’s following words. “What’d they say?”

 

“Said... there was an accident,” Sam said slowly. “That... Mom wasn’t _on_ the list, but the Elders tossed her into the sea anyway.”

 

Dean gulped. He was most _definitely_ not ready to talk about this. Even though it had been eighteen years ago. “They don’t know what they’re talking about, Sammy,” he replied angrily, rolling over so his back was to Sam. “Go to sleep.”

 

“But Dean-.”

 

“I _said_ go to sleep, Sam!”

 

He hadn’t meant to yell at Sam, but he was not ready to talk about his mother or what had happened to her that stormy night. The sea had been so dark, the sky purple, and then there was screaming, and the water had turned red. He shut his eyes, trying to banish the memories from his mind’s eye.

 

“Dean,” Sam whispered.

 

He groaned, trying to prove to Sam that was just _not_ in the mood to talk. “What, Sam?” he asked with as much exasperation as he could muster.

 

There was some silence and then Sam muttered something he couldn’t quite make out, and that was the end of the night’s conversation.

 

****

 

In the morning, Dean rose before the sun did, quietly tiptoeing out of bed, so as not to wake Sam or his father, and quietly gathering up his supplies. The harpoon he had fashioned himself sat propped against the wall, his empty rucksack along with it. Hopefully, today would be a productive day. There were only three days before the sacrifice was to be made and then the cold weather would set in and fishing would become so scarce, they were liable to starve through the winter.

 

Dean would not let his brother starve, simply because he was a failure. Dean picked up a hunk of bread and cheese to nibble on throughout the day. Opening the door quietly, Dean padded out of the house, and down the dock toward the shallower waters near the shore. He could harpoon in open water, but it was dangerous, and the sky was turning dark already. If there were storms approaching, he most definitely did _not_ want to be in open water. No matter how promising it might have been.

 

The shoreline was mostly empty today, everyone electing to stay home he supposed, what with the coming sacrifice. He didn’t blame them. If they hadn’t been so desperate for money and fish, he would have stayed inside today too. Even his father would probably stay inside, take the next few days off. Just like everyone else, but not him. He couldn’t afford the luxury.

 

The waves lapped at his bare feet as he went to stand in the shallows, his eyes on the look out for movement. One year he had caught them a baby shark, which had afforded them enough bread and cheese for all winter long. He had had hopes to catch a _grown_ shark today, especially if he had chosen to harpoon in open water, but then he wasn’t sure if he would be able to get it home, not without the use of a boat. It would just sink to the bottom and he would be out of luck.

 

Not to mention his father found sharks too dangerous for him to be hunting, even if he _were_ twenty-four, a grown man. He’d been grown since the age of four, he realized bitterly as he continued to scour the water for fish. Maybe he would get _really_ lucky and find clams. If he could get them open, he could fetch the pearls inside their meaty flesh.

 

The sky continued to darken over his head, the clouds swirling, and the waters becoming rough, even for the shallows. His father would have told him to leave, but he stayed with the water, his eyes lighting up when he finally saw a flash of a tail. Watching it carefully, Dean took aim, and then speared the fish as it attempted to get away. It took him a moment to realize what he had captured.

 

“Son of a bitch,” he hissed, jumping back a few feet when he saw the shark wheel around to try and take a bite out of his leg. It wasn’t a big shark, but it wasn’t a baby either. The stripes along it’s back made him think of a tiger. He had heard of these sharks; they were aggressive and mean.

 

The shark must have gotten caught in the tides, and washed to shore. Dean continued to fall back, until he was back on the sand, watching as the creature was washed up onto the beach, flopping and struggling. The harpoon had struck its dorsal fin and even though it was bleeding all over the sand, it still struggled to try and reach the ocean again. He almost felt bad for it.

 

Gulping, Dean walked around towards its tail, straddling its writhing body to pry the harpoon free. Sharks didn’t make noise, but by the way it thrashed, Dean could tell it was in distress. If he killed it now, they could sell it, and make a hefty penny off of the meat, fins, and teeth. Dean tried to resolve himself to grab his knife and plunge it into the gills, but he couldn’t. Instead, he quickly backed off of the creature, grabbed its tail and began to drag it back into the tide.

 

“Come on, stop struggling,” he growled at the shark as it continued to thrash. Dean released it once it was in the water, darting out of the way, in case it decided to double back and give him a bite out of spite. Climbing back to the shore, Dean picked up the remnants of the harpoon and his still empty rucksack, going to sit on the sand for a moment to collect himself.

 

His heart was pounding so hard, he could feel it hammering away in his chest like a thunderous reminder. It had been stupid to release the shark, he realized after the fact. If he told his father, he would surely get a beating for it, so he supposed it would have to stay his secret. Even telling Sam was out of the question, not with the way Sam liked to gab to their father. At eighteen, there were times, when Sam still seemed like a child. Of course, Dean supposed, Sam _was_ still a child.

 

_Just because you were not allowed to be a kid, doesn’t mean Sam grew up the same._

 

It was a cold reminder.

 

When the sky began to rumble, Dean decided it was time to pack up and head home.

 

****

 

The village grew with unrest on the day of the sacrifice. Dean still had no idea who it was going to be; it could have been him for all he knew. When the hour came, Dean flinched as they walked out, together, as a family toward the docks. His father looked grimmer than usual, which made Dean feel uneasy. Maybe it _was_ him. He wouldn’t put it past his father to sell his eldest son for money.

 

The family who gave up the member for the sacrifice was supposedly given enough wealth to last a lifetime, but Dean didn’t believe it. He just hoped his father wasn’t dumb enough to buy into it like everyone else. The town Elders stood at the head of the docks, dressed in stupid black robes, to keep up the appearances. It was stupid, but Dean knew they did it to appease the older folks who still believed in the legends.

 

Dean placed Sam in between his father and him, ready to jump to Sam’s defense, just in case... but their father wouldn’t put Sam up for grabs. It was probably Old Man Benjamin who lived a few doors down from them. He was a pain in everyone’s ass and Dean didn’t believe anyone _deserved_ to be thrown into the sea, but if anyone _did_ , it would have been Old Man Benjamin.

 

“Evening,” the Elders greeted, and they all nodded in solidarity. The sky was turning dark, and the waters were choppier than usual tonight. “Tonight, we have gathered to make our annual sacrifice, to appease _Them_.”

 

Dean wasn’t sure who _They_ were, no one did really; just those who made direct trade with _Them_. But even though his father made deals with the creatures in the deep, he had never seen one up close before. The sacrifice was always so bloody and messy, that it was too hard to make out the goings on anyway.

 

A glass jar was brought before the Elders, with one slip of paper at the bottom. One of the old men slowly removed the paper to read the name of the chosen sacrifice. Dean took a deep breath through his nose, feeling his stomach twist into knots. He wasn’t even sure he would have time to say goodbye to Sam before they tossed him in. From the look on his father’s face, it _had_ to be him. Dean was sure of that now.

 

“The sacrificed on this day is...” The man paused, blinking, taken aback. “Sam Winchester,” came the whisper after.

 

Dean blinked. Had he heard that right? No, it couldn’t be right- it had to be a mistake. But when a man reached to grab Sam, Dean yelled and punched him in the face. They couldn’t take Sam! It was _him_! It was supposed to be him!!

 

“Wait,” Sam said, his voice panicked. “Wait- DEAN!”

 

“SAM!” He cast his father a dark glance and tried to rush after them, but there were too many people crowding Sam now, as they drug him to the end of the dock. The waters were churning dangerously now, flashes of black fins and what looked like tentacles coming out briefly now and again.

 

 

It couldn’t be Sam.

 

It had to be him. He had to be the sacrifice. Dean screamed himself hoarse, fighting tooth and nail to reach Sam in time, but they were tossing him over and Sam’s terrified scream was like a knife to the heart. Finally, Dean broke through, and he didn’t think twice, he ran to the end of the dock, and dove in after his little brother.

 

The cold, black water engulfed him immediately, tossing him around like a rag doll. He slammed into one solid thing after another, having no idea what he was hitting, but it felt as if it were breaking his bones. The water was too black to see his brother, but he did see _something_ moving in the dark. The ocean was not quiet, either, it was alive with clicks and screeches; like whales or dolphins, but less harmonious. It was ominous. Terrifying.

 

Dean fought to reach the surface but something grabbed onto his ankle. Gasping, and immediately regretting it, Dean tried to break free. He struggled, kicked, and scratched, until whatever held him, let go, and he was able to continue swimming. There was light, he could _see_ the surface. One more stroke and he would be free-

 

There was a blow to the back of his head and then nothing.

 

****

 

Dean groaned as he began to slowly open his eyes. There was light, much too bright, shining on him, and his head throbbed so badly he wanted to vomit. “Shit,” he hissed, slowly sitting up, his hand moving to clutch at the back of his head where there was a lump the size of a decent sized rock.

 

It took him a moment to realize that he was back on the beach. He had no idea how he had gotten there, his eyes were fuzzy, but he was certain there was someone with him, _staring_ at him. Startling, Dean threw his body backward in fear, his eyes widening at the thing sitting and looking at him with a curious stare.

 

“Shit,” he repeated, his eyes wide. It was one of the creatures... but it wasn’t something he had expected in the slightest. First of all, it was half man (half _pretty_ man, for that matter) and half... octopus. Or something. “What the fuck are you?”

 

The creature’s eyes lit up as it realized Dean was addressing it- him. It screeched at him and Dean flinched at the awful noise. When it realized Dean did not like its voice, it clasped long fingered hands over its mouth and then its tentacles were grasping his ankles and he was being drug back into the water.

 

“No- No! Stop-.” Dean dug his fingers into the sand in desperation, but he couldn’t fight against the creature, it was a lot stronger than it looked. Soon, he was back in the water, and being flipped around so he was again, eye to eye with it.

 

“Hello,” it said, its voice sounding better now, no longer screeching and terrible. “I am Castiel.”

 

Dean couldn’t respond, so he gesticulated helplessly, and then the creature seemed to understand. It nodded in understanding and then Dean wanted to scream when its tentacles crawled all over his body, holding him tightly. It was going to eat him... that was what it was _supposed_ to do. Or perhaps it would drown him, he wasn’t all that sure anymore.

 

“Don’t you worry, you’ll be fixed in a moment,” Castiel assured him as he started to swim along carefully. He had to move slowly, since Dean was weighing him down, but soon, Castiel had him resting on an ocean rock, and then he was removing a necklace from his neck and placing it over his head. “There.”

 

Directly after, Dean realized with startling surprise, he could breathe. It was like breathing air. Reaching up, he touched his neck to check for gills, but there were none, but that didn’t stop him from being able to suddenly breathe water, just like he would oxygen on the surface. Castiel was smiling and then he gestured for him to talk.

 

Dean still feared swallowing sea water, but he decided to give it a try, slowly opening his mouth to speak. Whatever magick the creature had placed on his neck, he found speaking was just as easy. “What _are_ you?”

 

“I am an octopus,” Castiel replied proudly with a toothy smile. “And you are now mine.”

 

“I’m- I beg your pardon?” Dean sputtered in disbelief. “What do you mean-... I’m yours?”

 

“Well, I claimed you,” Castiel explained. “That makes you mine.”

 

Dean stared at Castiel in complete disbelief. “Look, I have to find my brother, okay?” Sam’s face flashed in his mind and his heart sank; if anyone had been eaten, it was probably Sam.

 

“Oh, the other boy?” Castiel asked.

 

Dean blinked, latching onto Cas’ shoulders. “You know of him?”

 

Castiel nodded excitedly. “Oh, yes, he’s with the others.”

 

“Well, take me to him, right now!” Dean exclaimed, suddenly very interested in whatever Castiel had to say.

 

The octopus looked extremely unhappy then, his face falling in sadness. “I am very sorry, but I cannot take you to the others.”

 

“Why not?” he demanded angrily, wanting to shove his harpoon up Castiel’s ass.

 

“Because... I am shunned.”

 

Dean felt his heart sink. Of course. Of _course_ he would get the stupid octopus who was _shunned_. “Of course you are.”

 

Castiel looked abashed for a moment, but then the look passed, and he took Dean by the wrist. “C’mon, I’ll take you home now. Oh, I think you’ll love the home, it’s very beautiful. I searched and searched for _ages_ until I found it. It’s not very big, but it’s nice and cozy. It’s full of treasures. I hope you can tell me about them.”

 

Dean tried to fight Castiel, but again, the creature was a lot stronger than he looked, and soon Dean gave up, instead allowing Castiel to drag him through the water. It was very _dark_ where Castiel was taking him, which gave Dean worry; he couldn’t see all that well, but he hoped Castiel could. He supposed, creatures like man-octopi _would_ live in the dark.

 

Castiel eventually pulled him between some rocks, and then they were in Castiel’s home. It wasn’t very big, as he had said, but it was big enough to fit them both. The rocks surrounding him were like little shelves, holding Castiel’s “treasures.” They weren’t _treasures_ , in the same sense that Dean thought of treasure; instead of jewels and gold, there were forks, knives, books, and other human artifacts.

 

“You call these treasures?” Dean asked in disbelief as he picked up a fork.

 

“Oh yes,” Castiel said, reaching to gingerly take the object from Dean’s hand, his own hands cradling it like a baby. “Isn’t it _beautiful_?”

 

“It’s a fork,” Dean replied with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Fork,” Castiel repeated slowly. “What is a fo-ork?”

 

“It’s what we use to eat our food with,” Dean replied with a wave of his hand, trying to find a comfortable place to sit.

 

“Oh, how fascinating,” Castiel whispered, his tentacles seeming to light up.

 

The sudden color change made Dean startle; a moment ago, Cas had been the same color as the blackness around them, but all of a sudden, he was a vibrant blue, practically glowing in the blackness. “Whoa, you changed color.”

 

Castiel glanced down at himself with a shy smile. “Oh, yes, I do that sometimes when I am excited or aroused.”

 

Dean balked at the word _aroused._ What the hell did _that_ mean? God, he hoped he never had to find out. “Cas, look, thanks for saving my life back there, but I really need to find my brother, okay? I think I can manage-.”

 

Castiel panicked, his color fading to black, as he swam over to grasp onto Dean’s body with his hands. “You cannot leave. You can’t.”

 

“But-.”

 

“No,” Castiel replied firmly. “You belong to me... So you have to stay here, okay?”

 

“Cas-.”

 

“No!” Castiel glared, looking angry for the first time, which was slightly terrifying, but Castiel was small, and he didn’t seem as terrifying as the _others_ Dean imagined did. “You have to stay here... I will be back.”

 

“Wait, where are you going?!” he demanded.

 

“To the surface. I will be back shortly. _Stay_.” Castiel raised his hands in warning, before picking up a cloth back, and then whisking away dextrously.

 

Dean stared after Castiel helplessly. He wanted to leave, but if he _did_ leave, how would he defend himself against the creatures in the dark? Not to mention he had _no_ idea where to start looking. Dean sighed, slowly settling on the floor of Castiel’s cave, hoping he could talk some sense into the creature when he returned.

 

****

 

Dean could feel his stomach aching, which was a surprising first; he didn’t usually get hungry much. He had gotten used to hunger, which could only mean he had gone _way_ too long without food. Dean shivered, realizing then how cold the water felt, and how much he would kill for a blanket. Not that it would help him in the water. Dean glanced up at the ceiling of Cas’ cave, and saw that the water seemed to become thinner toward the top, so taking a gamble, Dean swam up, and up, and up, until he gasped with shock when he broke the surface.

 

He had been right, there was an air pocket at the top. “Thank God,” he muttered, slowly climbing onto some of the shelves to rest. He had no idea how long Castiel had been gone - it felt like only a few hours, but maybe it had been days. It was so dark in the cave, he had no idea. The light at the top helped, but it still wasn’t a good indicator. But if he was actually _hungry_ , it must have been a while since Castiel had gone.

 

Castiel had told him he was ‘going to the surface’, whatever that meant... What if something had happened to him? Castiel _wasnt_ very big, a shark could probably easily take him out if it were hungry enough. Castiel was strong, but was he strong enough to fight off a hungry great white? Or a bigger octopus? He was _shunned_ , which did not bode well. _If_ something had happened to Castiel, that left him here... waiting...

 

Basically, waiting to die.

 

Because without food or water he _would_ die.

 

Dean stared down into the cave, watching the light ripple and distort the water and what lay beneath the surface. Sam was probably dead; the thought made his chest tighten and tears form in his eyes. If Sam were dead, there was really no point in living, but he couldn’t be certain of Sam’s death. Not if Castiel hadn’t eaten him. What if the octopi were taking the humans as pets?

 

He shook his head at the ludicrous idea. The octopi were _not_ taking humans as pets. Castiel seemed a bit unhinged, which was probably why he had been shunned to begin with. Dean continued to stare into the water for what felt like eternity, before sinking back in with a gasp at the cold. Allowing his body to float downward, Dean began to go through Castiel’s treasure trove to find something useful as a weapon.

 

He had to find food, and the only thing plentiful around in the ocean, were fish. If he could get some fish, he would eat them raw if he had to, even though raw fish did _not_ sound appetizing, no matter _how_ hungry he became. Finally, Dean settled on a heavy bookend; if nothing else, he could smash a fish to death.

  
Dean slowly turned to face the entrance to the cave, staring out into the darkness. He gulped. He was going into open water, but he had no choice, he _had_ to find food and Sam. Glancing back at the cave one last time, Dean slid out into the ocean.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Back _off_.”

 

A deep voice kept barking angrily as Sam slowly came to, his eyes heavy, and his head feeling swollen up to three times its normal size. It took him a moment to realize he was definitely not at home, and it wasn’t Dean snapping at people to clear away. For a moment, he had hope that everything was just a bad dream, and he was waking up on the shore. But he wasn’t on the beach, and the things peering down at him were not quite human.

 

“I said _back off_ ,” came the deep voice again, sounding truly angered. Finally, the angry voice’s companions backed off, and then Sam was staring into blue eyes.

 

Sam flinched, trying to crawl away, but something wrapped around his waist to stop him from getting far. “Please, don’t eat me,” he whimpered, as he slowly began to remember the events leading up to this one.

 

The village had sacrificed him. He had been tossed into the sea. There had been so much going on, he hadn’t been able to see or stay conscious long enough to understand. He had assumed he was dead, but apparently not. Or maybe he _was_ dead, and he was in Hell. That seemed mostly likely.

 

“We are not going to eat you,” the deep voice continued. “We don’t want to eat you.”

 

Sam gulped nervously, feeling his heart rate climb. He just hoped they couldn’t sense fear... “But, that’s- that’s what you do, right? You... eat people?”

 

The octopus-man-thing who spoke, with the deep voice, snorted with a roll of his eyes. He almost looked offended. “We do not _eat_ people.”

 

“Then... what do you do with them?” Sam asked slowly. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know the answer.

 

“We keep them.”

 

“...Keep... them? Like... pets?”

 

The octopus-man-thing shrugged slightly, slowly beginning to float around him. Sam took in his appearance slowly; he was a lovely dark purple with streaks of black along the underside of his tentacles, his hair soft looking, and the color of the chocolate he had always been fond of. Oddly, the octopus-man-thing was actually quite handsome.

 

“I suppose you could call yourself a _pet_ ,” the man finally agreed reluctantly.

 

“I don’t understand,” he whispered, feeling a tingle in his limbs. He wanted to run away, but where was he supposed to go? How was any of this possible? Death seemed like a good idea.

 

“You will.”

 

****

 

Dean’s limbs were tired.

 

_He_ was tired.

 

The ocean was more expansive than he could have ever imagined. It hadn’t always been that way - at least not according to tales from the older men in the village. Once, the world had not been so plentiful with water. Once, the world had had less ocean and more land, but now the world was smothered in ocean and barely any land. He had only known a world of sea water.

 

Treading in open water was probably a stupid idea, but he had moved out of the deep and dark parts, to where he could see... the problem was, it was just _blue_. No fish, no predators, nothing at all. Just blue expanse. It was like staring into Castiel’s eyes-

 

Dean shook his head. Where had _that_ thought come from?

 

_You’re losing your mind, Winchester. You need to get it together before you become shark food._

 

Dean gulped, wishing he could find some coral, rocks, anything, so he could rest for a while. Leaving Castiel’s cave had been _stupid_ , since he hadn’t yet to find food. He had dropped the bookend long ago, it too heavy to keep his arms from tiring out. Castiel had probably returned by now, panicked over what had happened to him. Dean began to swim again, trying to look for something that could be used as protective shelter. Anything was better than the nothing he had at the moment.

 

Feeling his body give up was horrifying. His limbs were so tired and weak, locking up, even as he tried to give a few more paddles forward. But, no, he was sinking. Panicking, Dean scrambled to reach the surface, even if just for a moment, but he just kept going down... and down.

 

He was going to die out here. Sure, he couldn’t drown, but he could be eaten. No weapons, no strength, no _idea_ of where he was. Death was imminent.

 

“ _There_ you are.”

 

Dean startled, trying to flip his tired body around. He knew that voice. It was-

 

“I thought I lost you,” Castiel said as he floated into sight, grasping a webbed hand around Dean’s forearm. “You ran away, you silly thing, I _told_ you to stay put. You humans aren’t very bright, are you?”

 

Dean stammered emptily. He had never been so damn happy to see the octoman. “You found me- how the fuck did you find me?”

 

“Oh, well, I was able to hear you, paddling around. At first, I thought you were just a floating fish or something, trying to find its school, but then I realized, you were _much_ too big to be a fish,” Castiel explained as he continued to pull Dean along, like a ragdoll, floating him back into the dark and deep. Dean didn’t _want_ to go back to the cave.

 

While they were in the light, Dean was finally able to get a good look at Castiel up close. He was thin and a strange color; more gray than flesh colored, his fins an inky obsidian, the undersides a dull gray. His hair was lanky and black, seeming to defy gravity in the water, as it stuck up all over the place. His fingers were long and bony, a light webbing in between them all, and when he spoke, Dean could see he had rows of sharp teeth.

 

Castiel was something out of a nightmare.

 

“You don’t look so good,” he said, interrupting Castiel’s sentence, since he hadn’t been paying attention anyway.

 

Castiel paused in his swimming to turn and face him, his face a mask of hurt. “What?” he squeaked.

 

“I said you don’t look so good. You look sick...”

 

“I- I am not _sick_ ,” Castiel said helplessly. “You are very rude.”

 

Dean shrugged. Maybe if he insulted the little octopus enough, Castiel would take him to the others so he could find Sam. “Did you bring food?”

 

“Food?”

 

“Yeah, for me. I have to eat, I’m starving.” Sadly, the word was not a euphemism, Dean had a feeling he really _was_ starving.

 

“Oh- yes. I have food for you,” Castiel reassured him with a confident nod, once again continuing to swim along. “No more running away, alright? It’s dangerous in the ocean.”

 

“It would help if I knew where we were,” he pointed out lightly, trying to tug Cas back toward the light, but Castiel just kept going down.

 

“I’m not sure,” Castiel admitted lightly. “On the edge of the kingdom, I suppose.”

 

“ _Kingdom_?” Dean sputtered in disbelief. “Y’all have a _kingdom_?”

 

“Well, yes, of course we have a kingdom. There are the octos and there are the mermaids.” Castiel looked over at him as if he were an idiot. “Surely, they teach you these things in school.”

 

Dean shrugged helplessly as they began to approach the ocean rocks, where Dean knew Castiel’s cave was nestled in somewhere. “I didn’t really go to school.”

 

“Oh... it’s alright, I was not allowed in school either. Everyone thought I was too... strange,” Castiel explained slowly. He almost snorted because, quite frankly, he believed that.

 

“I was too poor for school.”

 

Castiel’s face softened with something akin to pity. Dean didn’t like pity, it infuriated him. “I am sorry... come, I will feed you.” The octopus released him and quickly flitted over to his shelves, removing a sack and revealing it was full of dead fish.

 

Dean flinched. He had considered eating fish out of desperation, but now that they were being offered to him, it made his stomach churn. Perhaps starvation was better than this. “I can’t eat raw fish, Cas...”

 

“Sure you can. I do all of the time.” Castiel smiled and offered him up a silver one. It didn’t _look_ healthy, as if it had been sick when Castiel had found it.

 

“Did you... hunt these?” he asked slowly.

 

“Hunt? Oh, no, no.” Castiel shook his head quickly. “I found it.”

 

“You- you _found_ it? _Where_?”

 

“On the bottom.” Castiel pointed down to the bottom of the cave. “I go deep dwelling when I scavenge for food-.”

 

“But you’re an octopus!” Dean bursted, suddenly angry. Why was it that he got the spineless octopus who was a completely clueless moron? “You’re strong! I can tell you’re strong! You should be out _hunting_. Finding _healthy_ fish. God, it’s no wonder you look like shit, you _eat_ dead fish!”

 

Castiel flinched, slowly retracting the offered food. “Dean...”

 

“No. I think I’ll just _starve_.” He swam past Castiel, trying to reach the top of the shelf. If he made it to the top, he didn’t have to listen to Castiel speak. Just squeak and shriek at him.

 

“I-I brought you something else!” Castiel exclaimed, latching onto his ankle to keep him from going too far. “Look. Look.”

 

Dean slowly turned to glare at the young octopus, dropping his gaze down his nose at what Castiel had in his hands. It was a necklace of broken seashells and bottle glass. If truth be told, it was ugly as sin, but Castiel seemed so proud of it. Dean rolled his eyes in disdain.

 

“I made it,” Castiel said proudly. “For you. To signify us as mated.”

 

Angrily, he knocked the necklace out of Castiel’s hands, flinching when he realized some of the glass sliced open his skin. The salt of the ocean stung and he winced, trying to stop the bleeding. “Shit-.”

 

The look on Castiel’s face was of pure horror and hurt, but even though Dean had cast aside his gift, Castiel was quick to pull out what looked like seaweed to wrap up his hand, tying the makeshift bandage tightly to end the bleeding.

 

“I do not want sharks here,” Castiel whispered in a terrified tone.

 

Dean blinked slightly. “You don’t like them?”

 

“Oh- oh _no_... I am afraid of them. They like to eat us...” Castiel slid around him to start attending to his shelves, muttering to himself now and again.

 

Dean glanced back at Cas and then at the opening of the cave. He didn’t exactly want to _invite_ death, but if Castiel were afraid of sharks, it would be an easy fix. He just had to get enough blood in the water to draw one in. Was it cruel to offer up Castiel as bait so he could escape again? Yes. But he was desperate. Castiel was an idiot, it was clear why he had been shunned, and Dean had a feeling he was going to die from the poor care he was receiving from the clueless creature.

 

If Cas were dead, he could keep on searching for Sam. Especially if he followed the shark; it would surely head back to a food source, which would mean other octopi. The plan was perfect. He just had to put it into motion.

 

****

 

Sam walked around the palace room he had been given. It was strange, living in a _palace_. Especially when he _had_ been living in a shack for his entire life with his family. Now, he was being treated like royalty. It was... bizarre, to say the least, but it was also nice. He wasn’t the only human either.

 

In fact, most of the sacrificed were down in the palace, attached to their octopi. It was strange, yes, but Sam could tell they all seemed mostly happy. Some of them looked afraid and unhappy, but Gadreel - the one who had claimed him - had explained that not _all_ octopi were good to their humans. It was frowned upon, but not enforced as law yet.

 

They were underwater, but Sam realized he felt as if he were on land. He could breathe, the water was warm, the palace room had a bed, real furniture, everything he could expect from an earthly room. His clothes didn’t feel wet or feel heavy either, they just felt _normal_ , except for somehow feeling lighter at times, as if a breeze could whisk him away.

 

Sam put these facts toward magick. The same magick that enabled him to breathe underwater. _If only Dean could see this._

 

Dean...

 

Sam remembered Dean screaming for him, _trying_ to reach him, and he wasn’t sure if Dean had jumped into the ocean or not. Gadreel had been keeping an eye out for his brother, but so far, there was no luck, and Sam had not heard from or of him. Fearing for the worst was the Sam Winchester way, so he had been assuming the ocean had claimed Dean, or some other creature in the deep, if an octopus had not taken him as their own.

 

“Sam, Sir,” came a timid voice, making him turn around.

 

“Yeah?” he asked, looking over the newcomer. He was small and dark haired, somewhat similar to Gadreel in looks, but definitely smaller. His tentacles were white and red. He was kind of cute.

 

“My name is Samandriel...heh... Sam, Samandriel-” Samandriel trailed off when Sam didn’t laugh, looking abashed. “Well, um, Gadreel has requested your presence in his quarters. May I escort you?”

 

Sam blinked a few times but he nodded in the end, “Sure.”

 

Samandriel visibly relaxed. “Oh, _good._ Come, come.” The young octopus gestured for him to follow, so Sam followed behind him, walking where Samandriel floated. “I hope you are not too overwhelmed...”

 

He snorted and ran his fingers through his hair- which again, felt normal, as if it weren’t wet at all. “I’m still half convinced I’m dead and I’ve gone to some weird after-life, if that tells you anything.”

 

“Oh, I can assure you that you are not dead,” Samandriel said with a firm nod.

 

“Well, thanks, I’ll try and take your word for it.”

 

The octopi palace was beautiful, Sam had to admit. The walls were made of white alabaster, polished until it was so shiny Sam could see his reflection everywhere he looked. The floor, swirled white marble, atop it a red rug, which felt as if he could sink his toes in and never feel the true bottom. The decor flowing and intricate, like the corals of the ocean. For a moment, Sam believed they _were_ polished or painted coral, but as he drew closer to a sculpture, he could see it was actually well sculpted glass.He wanted to touch the edges to see if they were as sharp as they looked.

 

As they walked down the hall, Sam could see beautiful arches and handcrafted doors, but mostly, the palace seemed to be made of arches and open spaces. It made sense, in Sam’s mind at least. If one was going to swim everywhere, opening doors seemed like a tiring gesture. There were pillars, full of pockets and holes, Sam wasn’t sure what they were made of, but when they passed one, he paused, studying the surface. It looked like sponge, and when he stopped Samandriel to ask, the octopus explained that it was actually a living column, and fish and other creatures lived inside of them.

 

The furniture was made of lacquered gold, polished silver, and white enamel. Many pieces were bedecked in sparkling jewels. The settings were all deep, the jewels all shiny, sparkling as if they were new. There were clusters of green jade along an image of a seahorse, black onyx cut into the shapes of stars twinkling along the ceiling, white opal the eyes of beautiful mermaids, all staring at him with lustful glances. Sam had never seen so many precious stones in one place. He had seen a few on trips to the market with his father, but they had never been rich enough to afford half of one, let alone a whole stone. It was no wonder humans made deals with the creatures in the deep - they were rich. Sam had to wonder what passed for currency in a place like this.

 

Samandriel was leading him down a hallway with sconces that glowed a blue light; they were beautiful seashells. He had no idea what made the light; perhaps he could ask Gadreel, since he seemed like an octopus who knew much.

 

“Is Gadreel the king?” Sam asked out of nowhere. “I mean, we’re in a palace, he seems to have a lot of respect...”

 

“No,” Samandriel replied. “But he is First in Command. No one sees the King but Gadreel... Even though he is not the King by royal right, he acts as King on the King’s behalf, most of the time.”

 

“So, he’s a King Regent,” Sam replied slowly, remembering the term from an Encylopedia Dean had fished out of the ocean for him. It had been mostly ruined, but he had been able to dry some of the pages in the sun to read. He remembered how Dean had made fun of him for drying pages of a book, but it had paid off.

 

“I suppose, yes,” Samandriel agreed with a nod. They were coming upon a set of white doors with gold lacquer trim and seahorse relief detail on each door. The twin seahorses were painted turquoise and navy, with flecks of gold and pale pink as highlights throughout their bodies.

 

Samandriel reached forward and slid his hand over a golden handle to push the door open. It looked heavier than it moved, sliding forward with ease under Samandriel’s touch. Sam followed timidly, trying to stay out of the way. As a child he had always been “underfoot,” as his father had liked to snap at him. He did not want to tire Gadreel so early on in their relationship, whatever that happened to be.

 

Samandriel floated ahead, but Sam remained behind in the main room, glancing around at the architecture. The walls were smooth marble, swirling with hints of blue and purple in their milky white depths. The floor was a deep black, like the color of ink, it was almost as if someone had simply knocked over a large ink well and allowed the liquid to seep into the floor, staining it permanently. On the wall were more relief carvings of different animals - seahorses, dolphins, starfish, and amongst them were lovely imagery of the octomen.

 

Sam was completely blown away by the beauty in every detail of the walls alone. As he took in the furniture, however, he frowned. Compared to the detail on the wall, the furniture - plain, dark wood pieces - seemed devoid of personality. He couldn’t decide if Gadreel was less eccentric than the room he was in or if he was simply bad at accenting. For his sake, he hoped it was the latter - having to live with a drab octoman sounded tortuous.

 

“Sam,” Samandriel called, drawing him back to reality. “Gadreel will see you now.”

 

Sam nodded and walked toward where Samandriel was gesturing, slowly walking into the new room. It was a study. Sam gasped when he saw that the walls were nothing but bookcases - full to the brim with tomes. Hundreds of books, perhaps _thousands_ of books, all there for him to read and touch.

 

“You look happy,” Gadreel commented dryly.

 

Sam turned his eyes on the octopus, who was standing by a table, looking down at what appeared to be maps. “Yes,” he affirmed. “There are so _many_ books in here.”

 

“Do you like to read?”

 

He nodded eagerly. “Yes. I love it.”

 

A small smile twitched over Gadreel’s lips and his face seemed to soften. “Well, you are free to read as many as you can carry.”

 

He could feel his face lighting up in excitement. Where to begin? There were just so many. “How does this all work?” he asked as he wandered over to peruse the shelves.

 

“How does what work?” Gadreel asked.

 

Sam could feel the octopus’ eyes on him, which he wasn’t sure if it made him uncomfortable or just self-conscious. “Everything seems so normal - even the books aren’t wet.”

 

“Ah. Well, you have been given a pendant to wear, which enables you to breathe and live like us... Our magick makes this all possible,” Gadreel explained carefully, floating over to stand beside him. A tentacle lightly ran over his hair, pushing it back behind his ears. It almost felt affectionate.

 

“I thought so,” Sam admitted, glancing over at the octopus shyly. “So... any news of Dean?”

 

“No, I am sorry,” Gadreel replied gravely. “I fear the sea may have claimed him as her own.”

 

That was the nice way of saying, Dean had probably drowned. Sam could feel an emptiness fill him then, suddenly losing interest in all books. “Oh,” he muttered, “I feared as much.”

 

“We do not know this for certain, but my men have scoured the sea, and so far, we have not seen or heard sign of him.” Gadreel laid a hand on his shoulder, reaching to slightly tilt his chin up. “But, if it makes you happy, I will not stop until we can find out what happened.”

 

“I would appreciate it,” Sam whispered in quiet reply. “Thank you... But, you asked me here?”

 

“Ah, yes, I did.” Gadreel’s face turned red and his tentacles seemed to blush too, it was oddly endearing. “I asked you here because I have a gift for you.”

 

“A gift?” he asked, completely taken aback.

 

Gadreel nodded and floated over to a plain wooden desk, opening a drawer to reveal a necklace of black pearls. They were so black it was as if they ate the light, looking like black holes in the universe. Sam gasped, slowly approaching to reach out and place his fingers on their smooth, delicate surface in fear.

 

“It’s beautiful,” he breathed.

 

Gadreel smiled and gestured for Sam to turn around, so he did, allowing the necklace to be wrapped around his neck. There were two rows, wrapping around him snugly; when Sam reached to touch them again, they felt warm, almost throbbing with life. He slowly turned and Gadreel produced a silver mirror, revealing Sam’s reflection. The necklace was like a collar, and it took him a moment, but Sam realized, in the front there was a missing pearl, and in its place was a golden disc. On the disc was a silver _S_.

 

“For Sam?” he asked, his fingers brushing the golden disc in admiration.

 

Gadreel nodded. “Yes.”

 

Sam glanced up at Gadreel shyly, unsure of what this collar meant. Were they together? Mated, as Gadreel had mentioned earlier? Perhaps, being _mated_ wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not if he were getting expensive gifts like this. It was better than living at home, where he barely had any meals, and his clothing was but sun bleached rags. The only thing missing was Dean.

 

“You look sad,” Gadreel said as he set the mirror aside, his hands coming to cup his face in worry. “What is it, Sam?”

 

“It’s... Dean. I just-.” Sam cut off and took a deep breath to keep himself from sobbing. “Everything seems so nice, but Dean’s _missing_... and I need to know what happened to him. Even if it’s just... knowing he is dead. I have to know. Please, Gadreel.” Sam glanced up at Gadreel in desperation, his eyes full of unshed tears.

 

Gadreel nodded solemnly, wrapping his arms and tentacles around him in comfort. “Anything for you Sam. Anything you wish.”

 

****

Eating dead fish was probably the lowest he had ever been, but it was better than starving. Dean tried not to think too hard when he consumed the fish Castiel had left behind for him, while he was once again, _out_. Cas left often; in fact, Cas left so often, Dean hardly ever saw him, which was better for the both of them. Castiel drove him insane since he hardly ever kept his mouth shut, and Dean wasn’t yelling at him when he wasn’t around.

 

So, it was a win-win really.

 

He had been planning luring a shark into the cave, but he had to wait for Cas to show up for the night. Once Cas settled down, Dean had planned on slicing his hand open on a sharp rock near the entrance, and hoping the scent traveled far enough to attract a fairly large shark. It was a perfect plan, in Dean’s opinion, especially if he was able to reach the air pocket, away from the shark when it came to investigate.

 

Part of Dean was curious to know why Castiel was shunned, the _real_ reason, not the one Dean just assumed, but he had never asked Castiel either. Partly because he was so angry with the stubborn bastard that he didn’t want to talk to him, and partly because he wasn’t sure he _really_ wanted to know. It would only make him feel sorry for the little guy and he couldn’t feel sorry for him now. He had to stay ruthless.

 

Dean glanced over at the entrance, when Castiel suddenly appeared, floating in, carting a heavy bag with him. He dumped it on the ground, and Dean rolled his eyes slightly when he saw what had fallen out. More human things; cutlery and busted dishes from what Dean could see. Castiel appeared extremely happy as he was quick to put each piece with its brother on his rock shelves.

 

“Did you bring food?” Dean asked, hoping _this_ time, Castiel had been smart enough to bring something edible.

 

Castiel looked over and he saw the octopus’ face fall as he seemed to remember what he had forgotten. Dean groaned and turned away from the idiot. “Dean, I am sorry, I am easily distracted at the market-.”

 

“You’re an idiot,” he snapped sharply in return.

 

That shut Castiel up, and when Dean realized the cave had grown extremely silent, he turned to see an empty entrance. He sighed and stretched out on the bed of kelp Castiel had made him. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it was better than hard rock. He had no idea where Cas had gone, but Dean assumed he had headed off to go and sulk. At least he had time to concoct his plan further, down to every last detail.

 

Assuming the shark was full after it consumed Cas, it would probably leave him be, but just in case, he had been sharpening rocks and tying them with seaweed to poles Cas had stashed in his cave. They were makeshift spears, and he knew where to aim on the gills to make a shark turn tail and run. He almost felt bad for Cas, for plotting the octopus’ murder, but he _had_ to find Sam, and since Cas wouldn’t help, constantly pulling him back to the damn cave, he had to do something drastic.

 

Perhaps murder was a little high on the drastic actions list, but it was better than sitting on his ass and waiting to starve. Dean waited on his bed for what felt like hours, until finally, Castiel returned, in his hands something wrapped in what looked like _more_ seaweed. Dean tried not to sigh; he was so damn tired of kelp and seaweed. If he never saw seaweed or kelp for the rest of his life, it would be too soon.

 

“What’s that?” he asked as Castiel simply set the package down beside him without a word. A frown creased between his brows as he lifted the package to pull back the edges of the kelp packaging. From what he could tell, it was some sort of bread. Tearing off a piece, Dean plopped it in his mouth, and immediately spat it back out. It tasted stale and like salt.

 

“You do not like it,” came Castiel’s voice, flat and monotone.

 

“It’s _awful_ ,” he said. “I had better bread at _home_ than I do here. How fucking sad.” A bitter laugh bubbled out of him as he let the bread fall to the cave floor.

 

“I am sorry-.”

 

“Yeah, you always are,” Dean snapped back angrily. “Just shut up and go to sleep.”

 

To Dean’s surprise, Castiel _did_ shut up, and it wasn’t long before the octopus settled down on the floor, where he had been sleeping lately, to curl up and do as he was told. Dean relaxed, slowly leaning back against the bed, waiting until Castiel’s breathing became even and deep. It didn’t take long. Dean tossed a small pebble at Cas and when the octopus didn’t stir, Dean darted toward the entrance of the cave, and sliced his palm on a sharp bit at the front of the cave.

 

He flinched as the rock bit into his skin and the salt stung the wound, but he was quick to wave his hand around, hoping to saturate the water with blood. He dug his hand against the rock to produce as much blood as possible. Once the blood began to drift away, Dean swam back inside and quietly wrapped his hand with some seaweed and then swam to the top to wait. He just hoped he didn’t have to wait long.

 

It wasn’t until he sat and stared for longer than five minutes, he began to wonder if his plan would simply fail. There was no guarantee a predator would come to investigate the blood. Dean sighed, banging his head back against the wall tiredly, wishing Castiel had brought more dead fish than the nasty bread. At least the fish was protein. His stomach had ceased to growl and protest at him, which was worrisome; he had reached the level of hungry that he didn’t even _feel_ hungry, he could just feel his body dying instead.

 

He almost gave up on a shark appearing, when Dean’s heart slammed in his chest as a dark shadow began to pass into the cave. He almost cried out in alarm, but that was most definitely a shark swimming down there, and it was _huge_. It wasn’t so big it didn’t fit in the cave, but it was a lot bigger than Dean had anticipated. His heart beat began to pick up and Dean had to take several deep breaths to relax his breathing.

 

It was not long before he heard Castiel shriek.

 

Dean shut his eyes and prayed the battle at least ended quickly. Slowly opening his eyes again, Dean peered down into the water, and he could see the two shapes wrestling with one another, the shark thrashing. When the light caught just right, Dean could see blood in the water, and something else... something blacker than blood. He frowned, almost dipping his fingers into see what it was up close. It looked like

 

“Ink,” he hissed, realizing then that Castiel had used his defense mechanism. The water clouded so thickly that Dean couldn’t see anything and he suddenly felt very afraid. Where was the shark? He wasn’t about to go in and find out. Had it gotten Cas? Was he free? Was he free to leave at last?

 

Suddenly, the water burst and Castiel was launching out of the water and up onto the shelf, a spear in his hand, a snarl on his face. Dean’s heart hammered faster and harder against his chest, making his breathing uneven. He had a feeling that the warmth between his legs was due to his bladder releasing involuntarily. When he turned his eyes back to the clearing water, Dean could see the shark.

 

It was belly up.

 

“Jesus Christ,” he gasped, backing up as far away from the dead animal as possible.

 

“Are you safe?” Castiel asked, turning to face him, true concern in his eyes.

 

Dean stared at Cas with wide eyes. “What?” he breathed.

 

“I said, are you safe?”

 

He slowly nodded, trying to hide his hand, but it was too late. Castiel’s eyes fell to the bandage on his hand, the kelp darkened where some blood had started to seep through. “Cas- I can explain...”

 

Castiel stared at Dean in silence for eternity, or that was what it _felt_ like to Dean. “You cut your hand,” the octopus finally remarked slowly. “Was it an accident?”

 

Dean gulped. “Cas-.”

 

“Was. It. An. Accident?” Castiel’s face twisted and shifted in the light, appearing more creature and alien-like than human. His eyes darkened and Dean flinched when he saw they were practically black in the light.

 

Slowly, Dean shook his head in a silent denial.

  
Castiel angrily dove back into the water. It was only when Castiel was gone, dragging the dead shark out of the cave, that Dean realized he had understood Castiel above water.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Sam lounged on the bed Gadreel had given him, relishing in the mattress so soft, it was almost like a pillow. The blanket on top was pink, while the bed itself was the color of cream with a gold trim, it was clearly made for a girl, but he didn’t mind. It was _comfortable_ , and even though he dreamt of Dean, and woke up more than once from a few nightmares, it was definitely the best night’s sleep he had ever had. The only problem being an octopus’ pet, was, he wasn’t really sure _what_ to do. Gadreel was always busy, and he had already read ten books since arriving in the palace. He wasn’t even sure how long it had been since he had been tossed into the ocean like trash.

 

Had it been a few days? Hours? Weeks? Months? There was no way to know the passage of time down under the ocean surface. At times he knew when it had to be daylight versus night; the water they lived in was a beautiful, vibrant cerulean, full of life, and light, but when it grew dark, so did the water. It frightened him the most when darkness overtook the surface world, because it darkened _his_ world to an inky blackness. He didn’t like the palace as much at night.

 

Where in the daytime, he could see shadows and reflections, the palace seemed open and almost dream-like... but at night the shadows were eaten up and all became one monstrous being. There were sconces and lights, but for Sam, it didn’t help much.

 

He frowned, as an idea slowly dawned on him, sitting up to look over at his door. That was one thing he had noted about the rooms; the private bedrooms had doors, while the other areas were simply open archways. It made perfect sense, but sometimes, Sam felt shut in. As if he were the fish in the fishbowl that was the ocean. Perhaps, if he were nice to Gadreel, he would be allowed to go up to the surface, to see how long it had been since the sacrifice.

 

Perhaps Dean was all right. Perhaps, he was back at the dock, attempting to fish. Jumping to his feet, Sam rushed from his rooms and down the hall, running as fast as his gangly legs would carry him to Gadreel’s study. He didn’t even knock, he simply threw the door open, which made the octopus startle, as well as his guests.

 

“Oh,” Sam gasped. “I didn’t realize you had guests- I should have knocked...”

 

Gadreel frowned. “Yes, you should have.” He was always more formal when he had company over.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, ducking his head, and staring at the floor sheepishly. “I was just wondering if I could go to the surface-.”

 

A gasp slid across the room and Sam quickly darted his eyes up in curiosity. The octopi all stared at him with shocked faces, looking as if he had grown an extra head.

 

“Gadreel,” one of them scolded harshly. “You have _no_ control over him.”

 

“He didn’t know,” Gadreel snapped back angrily. “I have plenty control of him-.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m still here,” Sam interjected, not able to stop himself, which only earned him more angry glares. Was he not allowed to have a voice in their world?

 

“Sam, wait outside,” Gadreel finally said, his voice stern.

 

“But-.”

 

“ _Now_.”

 

Huffing, Sam angrily spun on his heel and stormed out of the study, slamming the door as hard as he could, satisfied when it rattled in its hinges, going to pout against the opposite wall. He knew he was being childish, but he would not just be a voiceless entity in their world. He had more moxie than _that_.

 

“Get kicked out?” came an amused voice.

 

Sam turned and stared in shock. There was a girl standing in the hallway, completely nude, except for a loose, silky, sheer wrap around her waist, which didn’t hide anything at all. Her nipples were painted pink over in a star pattern, but it didn’t hide much either. He began to blush, realizing that his penis was suddenly deciding to wake up. Dropping his hands over himself, he shifted uncomfortably.

 

The dark haired girl laughed, looking amused at his predicament. “I’m Ruby,” she offered, approaching him with swaying hips. With each sway, the fabric swished, and each time, Sam wondered if he were about to have an eyeful of female genitalia. He had never _seen_ a real vagina before, but he was definitely curious.

 

“I didn’t think there were girls down here,” he said lamely, feeling his face blush so hot it made his neck sweat.

 

She shrugged one thin and delicate shoulder. “I got thrown out to sea, picked out by a pretty octopus- but it didn’t work out between us... I’m still here though, free-floating.”

 

_Free-floating_ was a term Sam had learned the other day. It was basically a term for prostitution. “Oh,” he said lamely. She was a hooker.

 

“Yep.” She grinned then, still looking truly amused. “What’s your name?”

 

“Sam,” he offered.

 

“Nice to meet you Sam.” Ruby drew closer to him, one of her fingers come up to trace along his jaw so lightly, the touch drew up goosebumps. “Nice to meet you _indeed_.”

 

“I’m spoken for,” he said quickly, touching the necklace.

 

Ruby giggled. “Yeah, from other _octopi_ , not from us human concubines. If you ever wanna have a good time, come find me.” She cast him a devious wink before swaying away. He couldn’t stop himself from watching her go, his eyes on her ass until she disappeared from his line of sight. Dean would have been proud of him.

 

Sam felt his face, still heated up, turning even hotter as he turned to stare at the closed door of Gadreel’s office. He shouldn’t have been so embarrassed, but she had made him overly aware of his arousal. It was the first time he had felt aroused since before he had been tossed to his death. When he turned to face the door again, it was opening, and Gadreel’s guests were leaving, casting him sidelong glances along the way, before Gadreel gestured for him to come into the room.

 

Arousal mostly forgotten, Sam made his way back into Gadreel’s study, feeling bad for simply bursting in without an invitation. “I’m sorry I just bursted in like that...”

 

Gadreel turned to face him, his voice still in the ‘too-serious’ mode, “You cannot go to the surface, Sam. It is forbidden.”

 

“But, I _want_ to go and see if Dean is at home! If I knew, then it could be better, I would _feel_ better. Please, Gadreel. Let me go and see if Dean is safe.” Sam stared at Gadreel with the saddest expression he could muster, his eyes welling with tears. Dean meant everything to him, and knowing if Dean were safe or not, felt like the most important thing in the world to him at the moment.

 

Gadreel sighed, running a tired hand over his face, looking extremely exasperated with him and his wants and needs. “You cannot return to the surface, Sam, but I will send someone in your stead-.”

 

“ _I_ want to go,” Sam snapped angrily. “I can’t trust someone to not lie to me.”

 

“And if I go in your stead, will you believe _me_?”

 

He gave pause, not wanting to offend Gadreel in any way, but eventually Sam shook his head ‘no’. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I have to confirm it with my own eyes. Surely, you understand.”

 

There was a shift in the air, a heavy weight placed down between them as Gadreel shifted away from him physically and glanced down at the ground for a moment. Clearly, his words had hurt Gadreel more than he had anticipated them hurting. “I will consider your want... and I will let you know tomorrow if your wish will be granted.”

 

Sam crossed his arms over his chest, wanting to yell at the octoman. _Wish granted_? Was Gadreel suddenly a genie from the fairy tales? Shaking his head, Sam walked out of the room and back down the hall toward his own. If Gadreel wanted to be stubborn, then he could play that game too.

 

****

 

“Where are we going?” Dean asked for the sixth time. Castiel had been pulling him along in the water like a buoy, never answering questions, just swimming. “Cas, please tell me?”

 

Castiel continued to ignore him, and Dean began to wonder if Castiel were going to leave him in the middle of the ocean to become shark food. He wouldn’t blame the octopus, not after what he had done. After his betrayal had become apparent, Castiel had drug the dead shark out of the cave and then proceeded to ignore him completely. They didn’t talk. Castiel hardly even acted as if he were around.

 

Until now.

 

Now he was being pulled out to sea, not able to get away, and concerned Castiel was going to kill him.The silence continued, until the water began to clear, turning bluer, and lighter. Dean’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the change in light, but he was able to relax more when he was able to see further into the distance.

 

“Cas, _please_ talk to me... Please? Even if it’s just to tell me to shut up.” Still, Castiel remained a silent sentry.

 

Dean sighed heavily, allowing his eyes to shut, as he took a small nap. He had been living off of dead fish still, and he was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep for eternity. _You might get your wish at this rate_ , he reminded himself bitterly. It had been foolish to try and kill Cas, and he had _no_ idea how to make it up to him.

 

“Cas-.”

 

“Shh!” Castiel hissed, which startled him.

 

“Hey, seriously, I’m sorry-.”

 

“Shh!” Castiel twisted to placing a long, bony finger on his lips.

 

He rolled his eyes, wondering if Cas was just tired of hearing him talk, but when he glanced around, Dean gasped. They had arrived to a beautiful reef. There was coral, fish, and other sea creatures he didn’t quite recognize. The light was shining in and making everything light up in color. It was truly one of the most amazing places Dean had ever seen.

 

“Wow,” he whispered, wondering if talking was still off limits.

 

Castiel placed him behind a large rock, and then gestured for him to peer over, so he did. There were a lot of fish, but Dean could see which ones Castiel was eyeing. The big silver ones. He had caught a few of those while fishing once. They were faster than they looked.

 

“Cas, we can’t hunt those, I don’t have a...” He trailed off when Castiel picked up a spear that blended in with the rock, placing it in both of his hands. “Spear.”

 

“You wanted to hunt,” Castiel said, his voice colder than it had been before, almost completely flat. “You may hunt.”

 

He nodded, wrapping his fingers around the smooth handle, turning his gaze back on the fish. The moment he was out in the open, the fish would scatter, Dean realized, and he had a feeling he would only, maybe, catch one. _I can get one. Easy._

 

Taking a deep breath, Dean hopped over the ocean rock, launching into the school of fish. Immediately, the fish did as he had figured, they scattered and the reef turned into a frenzy. The world went from blue, to flashes of silver, red, and yellow as the fish swam in many different directions, some smacking up against his body. Stabbing a moving fish underwater proved to be more difficult than he had first anticipated.

 

“Son of a bitch,” he hissed as the reef began to clear and empty out.

 

Castiel sighed, hoisting himself over the rock to float beside him. “You missed.”

 

“ _Yeah_ , ya think?” he snapped back angrily. “Smart ass.”

 

“You would do better if you had a tail,” Castiel pointed out.

 

“ _Oh_ , okay,” he replied sarcastically, “let’s go buy me one, yeah? Where do they sell tails, Cas? The fish-tail store?”

 

For a moment, Dean could tell from the look on Castiel’s face, that he was slowly parsing through Dean’s statement. It was almost painful, watching Castiel sort through the words, before finally glowering, when he realized Dean had been joking.

 

“Wow, sarcasm is pretty lost on you, ain’t it?” he asked.

 

“You are not funny, Dean,” Castiel replied.

 

Dean smirked to himself because _he_ thought he was funny, and that was all that mattered in this upside down world. “Don’t _you_ know how to hunt?”

 

“I told you, I do not hunt-.”

 

“Why _not_?”

 

“I never liked hunting.”

 

“Cas, you killed a huge ass shark, you’ve got to be stronger and faster than you act.” He looked over at Cas, not wanting to bring up the shark attack, but he couldn’t stop himself. Cas had taken out a large predator as if it were nothing to him at all. Dean had been terrified and impressed.

 

“I did what I had to, to stay alive,” Castiel replied coldly. “And to keep you safe.”

 

“Well, _hunting_ , will keep me safe. I have to eat... and eating keeps me safe because it keeps me healthy. Please, Cas? Help me?”

 

The octopus’ eyes flashed to the angry black again. “ _Now_ you want my help?! _Now_?”

 

He had the grace to blush, glancing down at the rock in shame. “I said I was sorry Cas, I meant it... I shouldn’t have... lured that shark in to hurt you. I just... I just _really_ want to find Sam, and you won’t help me!”

 

“So, that meant I had to _die._ ”

 

“Well, Cas, you’re not that good at being an octopus, no offense. I mean, at least you’re not that good at caring for _people_.” Dean sank down onto the rock to sit, holding the spear across his lap. “Am I your first human?”

 

Castiel opened his mouth to reply but then he froze, and Dean watched in pure fascination as Castiel’s colors began to change. He went from gray and black to blue, practically blending in with the ocean water around him.

 

“Cas?”

 

“Don’t move,” Castiel whispered.

 

“Wh-.”

 

“Don’t. Move.”

 

He wanted to turn around and _look_ to see what had Castiel spooked, but the energy in the water shifted. It went from serene and peaceful, to choked and stagnant. There was something in the water a hell of a lot more dangerous than them. Something that even Castiel was afraid of.

 

“Another shark?” he whispered back, almost _hoping_ it was a shark, but from the way Castiel was acting, it was worse than a shark. Of course, Dean had _no_ idea what could be worse than a shark. Considering they were the apex predators in the ocean.

 

“No,” Castiel whispered.

 

“Then what?”

 

When Castiel visibly gulped, inked, and grabbed his wrist to yank him away, Dean knew something was terribly wrong. “Lucifer.”

 

****

 

Sam stared at Gadreel with his jaw hanging open. “A what?”

 

“The dolphins are quite reliable transportation for our humans,” Gadreel continued as if he hadn’t just suggested Sam ride a dolphin to the surface. “They’re smart, strong, and loyal to us. Of course, we feed them so that has a lot to do with it.”

 

“You want me to ride a dolphin to the surface? Why can’t you just take me? Or Samandriel?” Sam asked, still unsure of why a dolphin was necessary.

 

“I am much too busy to take you,” Gadreel replied with a wave of his hand. “Acting as King Regent is a lot more difficult than you can ever imagine.”

 

“Fine, then why can’t Samandriel take me?”

 

Gadreel sighed as if he were annoyed. “Fine, Samandriel will take you to the surface. You are _not_ to stay long and you may not return to land.”

 

“Then how am I supposed to know if Dean is home?!” he demanded angrily.

 

Gadreel shook his head and then Samandriel was floating into the room. “Take him to the surface, you may stay for an hour and no longer.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Samandriel replied seriously. “Come along Sam.”

 

He wanted to throw a fit, be _angry_ , but if he threw a fit and then Gadreel changed his mind... He couldn’t be a brat, he had to deal with what he had been given. Just like at home. Nodding, Sam turned and followed Samandriel back out into the palace, feeling more frustrated than he had been before his visit with Gadreel.

 

“Why are you so long faced, Sam?” Samandriel asked as they headed toward the palace exit.

 

“Because I can’t go _to_ the surface to see if Dean is around and only an hour? How can I find Dean in an hour? It’s impossible and Gadreel knows it.” Just because he couldn’t throw a fit around Gadreel, didn’t mean he couldn’t do it around Samandriel.

 

“Everything will be fine,” Samandriel reassured him as they began to swim off into open water. “I will take you to the dock by your old home, if Dean is there, he will most likely be out fishing and doing as your father says, correct?”

 

Sam shrugged, clinging to Samandriel as best he could. “I guess.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

They fell into silence after, so Sam focused on what they passed and what happened around them. They stayed closed to the surface, but not so close they broke free, so Sam was able to stare down at the ocean floor the closer they drew to shallower water. Rock and coral soon turned to reef and then sand. There so many different kinds of fish, Sam wasn’t even sure what half of them were.

 

Dean had always been a good fisherman. He had always made sure to provide for his family, especially Sam. Sam knew that now, knew that Dean had been the one to provide food for him to eat, clothes for him to wear, and books for him to learn and read from. The more he realized Dean had been the one to raise him, the more it hurt about his loss. By the time they reached the docks, Sam was in tears.

 

“What is it? Sam?” Samandriel turned to look at him in fear and horror. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I just miss Dean,” he whimpered, before glancing up at the dock. When Samandriel released him, Sam bolted to break free of the water, looking around to see if he could see Dean, but the dock was empty. Samandriel stayed below, glancing every which way now and again. Taking advantage of when Samandriel wasn’t paying as close attention to him as he should have been, Sam bolted out of the water and onto the dock, running toward the house.

 

“Sam!”

 

He ignored Samandriel’s cries, rushing to the door, and throwing it open. “Dean?!”

 

There was no answer. Not even his father appeared around the corner to greet him in surprise. The house seemed lifeless. Their furniture was still there - the threadbare couch, the old recliner that their father had loved so much, the rickety table that still needed a new finishing, the icebox, the gas stove, the bare walls. It was all the same, but Sam could tell there was no one home. He sighed, backing out of the house and walking down the docks toward the beach. Perhaps Dean had gone there to fish in the ocean.

 

The sand felt good beneath his bare toes as he squished through the sand carefully, but there was no sign of Dean. No equipment laid out, no person in the water. In fact, there was no one on the beach at all, which was surprising, since it was such a beautiful and sunny day out. Maybe there was something going on in town. Samandriel’s cries continued, Sam realized, but he still ignored them, running from the beach back down the dock toward the alley that would take him into town.

 

Maybe Dean was busy trading today.

 

The market was bustling, as usual, so Sam did his best to keep his eyes peeled for his brother. He checked all of Dean’s old haunts - the bar, the market stall with the pretty blonde girl, the boats. There was no sign of Dean or his father. A few people passing him by stared at him as if they recognized him and then shook their heads, not believing that he could be back. It was then, that Sam gave pause at the great building that housed the Elders. They would know what had happened to Dean.

 

Sam threw open the doors, rushing down the marble hallway toward the great oak doors that would take him to the main meeting hall. The building was quiet, except for the echoes of his bare feet on the cold, stone floor. He ran down the hallway and thrust his shoulder into the doors to make them give way; they opened easier than he had first believed, which sent him flying to the floor with a gasp of pain as he twisted his ankle.

 

“Sam Winchester?” came a surprised voice.

 

Sam glanced up from the floor to lock eyes with one of the Elders. “Yes,” he gasped angrily. “Where is my brother?”

 

****

 

“Cas, slow down- Cas you’re gonna pull my arm out of its socket!” Dean exclaimed in agony as Castiel continued to drag him away from the scene. Something grabbed onto his ankle, which yanked him out of Castiel’s grasp, and made his arm pop. He screamed in pain and then Castiel was coming back, growling angrily at whatever held him.

 

“Let him go,” Castiel snarled.

 

Dean felt warm hands turn him around, and then he was staring into eyes about as blue as the ocean around them. The creature, its face full of pockets and sores, as if it were ill, smiled at him. Its teeth were long, wicked, and sharp, stained the color of rust. It made Dean’s stomach twist. It chuckled.

 

“Now, Castiel, you know very well that you are not allowed to have _pets_.”

 

“Lucifer, let him _go_.” Castiel brandished the spear in his hand, but Lucifer just laughed, clearly unimpressed.

 

Dean looked down Lucifer’s body, expecting more tentacles, but where there should have been tentacles, was a long white fin, the end darkly crimson, as if it had been dipped in blood. He wasn’t an octocreature at all, he was something else entirely.

 

“Ah, I see Castiel has not _told_ you about me,” Lucifer lamented, as if he were upset. “How sad, _brother_ , not telling your human about your lost, sad, defenseless older sibling.”

 

“This is your brother?” Dean asked in disbelief. “But, he doesn’t have tentacles.”

 

“I did... once,” Lucifer muttered, slowly releasing him to back up so Dean could take in his full visage. “But that was long ago.”

 

“You aren’t welcome here, Lucifer,” Castiel spat angrily, wrapping his own tentacles around Dean again, tightening his grip to where Dean had to wriggle in discomfort. “You will never be welcome here!”

 

“Neither are you,” Lucifer pointed out.

 

“It is not my fault you forsook our kind to become one of them!”

 

“One of who?” Dean asked, glancing back at Castiel in confusion. “Explanation, please?”

 

Lucifer drew in close again, his eyes angry. “Once, I was like them. Proud and strong, the best octo in the land! But I was... curious. _Too_ curious.” Lucifer paused, turning to reveal long scars along his back; some of them were deep and still red, as if they had just happened the day previous.

 

“Jesus,” Dean whispered.

 

Lucifer spun around to face them again, “I was curious about... the mercreatures in the deep. They have _magick_ stronger than ours, you see. We _learned_ from them, and I wanted to be one of them... So, I went to them, I found their Queen and I begged her to make me like them. She laughed me out of the room.”

 

“They don’t respect you,” Dean realized out loud.

 

“No, they do not,” Lucifer agreed with a shake of his head. “So, I went to the their witch... A sea witch... and she promised she would make me like them, but it would hurt, and it would cost me more than I realized.”

 

Castiel growled and Dean startled as the sound rumbled through his spine.

 

“I became a mercreature... but it hurt... the transformation practically ripped me apart... but I became one of them, and for it, I was shunned from the other octos.” Lucifer smiled then, the gesture as cruel as his persona. “I don’t regret it.”

 

“You are also shunned from them,” Castiel pointed out coldly. “You are not welcome amongst the mercreatures either!”

 

“Yes, and you are not welcome amongst our own kind.” Lucifer looked at Dean. “Has he told you _why_? I suppose he hasn’t.”

 

Castiel growled again. “Shut up.”

 

“Has he?”

 

Dean shook his head. “No,” he admitted.

 

Lucifer laughed, the sound echoing around them. It was cold and empty, it made Dean’s skin crawl. “Of _course_ he hasn’t! You see, Cassie here _loves_ humans, he loves them more than his own kind... Octopi love humans so much they keep them as pets, but Castiel wanted a _friend_... So, at his first Claiming Ceremony, he grasped onto his human and drug him to the bottom of the ocean... However, he forgot one particular little detail.”

 

Dean stiffened. He had a feeling he knew where this story was going. “Humans can’t breathe underwater,” he whispered.

 

Lucifer snapped his fingers. “That’s correct. He forgot to give his human a charm to keep him alive... So, his human died, but you see, none of us _knew_ about it because Castiel took the dead corpse and hid it in the rock caves. It wasn’t until later, when Gadreel and the others went to check in, that they found Castiel quietly muttering to his dead friend, starting to decay.”

 

Dean broke free of Castiel’s loosening grasp to turn and look at him. “You _killed_ your first person?! And then you just... kept the body down there with you?”

 

Lucifer laughed again. “Cassie was never the _brightest_ octopus in the sea. He was shunned from the others because they couldn’t trust him to take care of someone else... He was a _shame_ to the community. Especially with his fascination of human objects.”

 

Castiel’s face fell and his color began to drain. “I didn’t want to tell you-.”

 

“Yeah, I can see why,” Dean snapped. “It’s bad enough you forget to feed _me_!”

 

Castiel looked at Dean in desperation. “I can be better, I can-.”

 

Dean shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “You can’t. You can’t be better Cas. You’re not good at this and you never will be. Just, take me to the others, Cas. Please.” Dean felt a cold hand wrap around his shoulder.

 

“I will take you,” Lucifer hissed in his ear. “If you ever wish to survive down here... Might I suggest visiting the sea witch?”

 

Dean frowned. “But you said the mercreatures don’t respect you.”

 

“No... But they would have no idea that you were human first, now would they? If you become like us... a sea creature... Then perhaps you can survive on your own, without Cassie’s help.”

 

“Don’t listen to him, Dean! He’s lying!” Castiel cried, reaching for him again, but Dean pulled away, pressing his back against Lucifer’s chest.

 

“Go away, Cas,” Dean said. “I have to find Sam and you won’t help me, and maybe he will. It’ll be better than starving to death.” He slowly turned to face Lucifer fully. “Take me to the sea witch.”

 

Lucifer’s smile began to twist upward. “Follow me.”

 

****

 

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

 

Sam stared coldly at the Elder, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe I am and I came back to haunt your stupid ass. Where is Dean?!”

 

The Elder, Sam realized he had _no_ idea what the man’s name was, just stammered at him helplessly. He looked lost and unpowerful, as if he were just an old man in a black robe, which Sam realized, was exactly what he was. “I don’t know where your brother is.”

 

“He jumped in the ocean to save me and I want to know if he came back.”

 

The Elder shook his head. “No.”

 

“And my father? Where is he?” Sam demanded.

 

“I don’t know-.”

 

Sam screamed angrily, turning and storming out of the room, walking back down the hall. Revealing himself to the Elder was probably not smart, but he didn’t care, he was _angry_. Dean could have been anywhere - he could have been _dead_ , but Sam would never know. He threw open the doors to the town hall and angrily began to walk back toward the beach. He froze when he saw the sky turn so dark it made his heart palpitate.

 

The black clouds rumbled dangerously and lightning lit up the underside of the clouds, making him gulp in fear. Perhaps climbing back into the ocean was a poor idea for the moment. The sea turned rough and he hoped Samandriel was safe. About to find higher ground, Sam paused when he saw the waters part, and Gadreel appeared, his tentacles walking up the beach.

 

“Gadreel-.”

 

“To me,” came the dark and echoing command. “Now, Sam Winchester.”

 

Sam gulped and followed, slowly idling up to the octopus, feeling his heart sink. He was in trouble, that much was clear. “I can explain-.”

 

Gadreel snatched onto him and they were going into a wave and back down into the water, the water darker now that the sky had turned black. “You _deliberately_ disobeyed me,” Gadreel said as he swam, diving further and further, until they were enveloped in the black water, and slowly Sam started to recognize his surroundings again. They were entering the kingdom.

 

“I had to know what happened to Dean! I had to!” he cried desperately. They were coming upon the courtyard, which was alive with octopi. Sam gasped when Gadreel threw him into the middle of everyone and everything. “Gadreel, _please_ -.”

 

Gadreel’s face was a mask of angered rage. “You disobeyed me! Disrespected me! I gave you a piece of me and you threw it back in my face!” The octopus reached forward and tore the collar free of Sam’s neck, allowing the pearls to scatter all around. “You are free of me.”

 

Sam’s eyes widened, afraid of what that could mean. “What?” he whispered. “Wait- what does that mean? Gadreel?!” But Gadreel was swimming away and the others were circling him as if they were about to eat him whole. “Gadreel!”

 

He received no answer and the water grew tense and restless. The octopi all looked at one another, as if they were debating on who would come forth first. Who was going to take the disobedient boy now? Sam flinched, pressing his back against a wall, his heart racing so fast, he could have thrown up. If Dean were here, he would have been ashamed, so Sam squared his shoulders, and stared at the octopi, daring one of them to step forward.

 

Until one of them did.

 

Most of the creatures treated their humans kindly and they had friendly disposition, Sam had learned. However, the one who stepped forward had a cruel smile, evil eyes, and long claws on the ends of his fingers. His tentacles were black and gold, his eyes just as yellow. He did not look happy to see him.

 

“We’re going to have a lot of fun,” it said with a twisted smile.

 

****

The sea witch’s cave was the giant skeleton of a dead creature long forgotten - Lucifer called them Leviathan. Dean was not sure what they were, but even the skeleton was terrifying, so Dean was thrilled he did not have to see one alive. He followed Lucifer into the dark cave until they came upon the sea witch herself. She was beautiful; her hair, long, as red as flame, and flowing around her in soft tresses, her lips were as red as blood, her skin milky-white, and her fin as black as Castiel’s ink.

 

When Lucifer appeared, she smiled and sat up, her fingers going to rest along the dorsal fin of a shark that rested near her. Dean froze, not wanting to go any closer, but Lucifer dragged him along until he was directly in front of her. He gulped, raising his chin high, trying to ignore the man eating creature beside her. It hadn’t made a move to face him, and in fact, its eyes were closed, and it looked content. Like when a dog was petted.

 

“And who is _this_ fine specimen, Lucifer?” she asked, running one long, red fingernail along his jawline.

 

“His name is Dean,” Lucifer replied, going to her other side. “I found him with Cassie, Abaddon.”

 

Abaddon smiled and laughed, looking truly amused. “Castiel had you?” she tsked sadly, “Oh you _poor_ thing. Starving, aren’t you?”

 

He nodded eagerly, hoping she would feed him something other than long-dead fish. Abaddon swam around him and went to a shelf to remove a tray. He turned to watch her, his eyes falling on the tray in her hands. On it were puffs, that was the only way he could describe them, filled with different things - fruit, meat, sweets. Not being able to stop his hand, Dean reached and snatched one up to eat. They tasted so good, he soon had consumed the entire tray until his stomach felt so full, he had a feeling he was going to be sick.

 

“There,” Abaddon crooned. “Good boy.”

 

Feeling full, Dean licked his lips, laying a hand on his stomach in satisfaction. “Thank you,” he said, meeting her eyes to show her he meant it.

 

“You are _most_ welcome… So, tell me, what are you doing here? I assume you… _want_ something.” Abaddon set the tray aside and returned to the seat she had been resting on.

 

Dean turned to face her with a nod. “I want to be like you guys,” he said, gesturing at Lucifer and herself. “Please. I can’t survive down here if I don’t.”

 

She smiled slightly. “I see,” she purred, leaning forward to flip his arm over, running her thumb along the smooth skin on his forearm. “Hmmm… I could possibly make this happen.”

 

“Good,” Dean said with a nod.

 

“But, I do not do these things for free,” Abaddon continued. “What do you have as payment?”

 

Dean glanced at Lucifer in alarm but he had no answer, so Dean turned his eyes back on her. “I don’t,” he admitted slowly. “I didn’t know there was payment.”

 

Abaddon’s laugh echoed around the bone walls, making him shudder. “Foolish boy,” she said, slowly sitting forward to look him in the eye. It was such a strong stare, that Dean wondered if she could see his soul too. “I will change your form, but, for a price… You accept my terms and conditions now, or you leave.”

 

“What are the terms and conditions?” Dean asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

Abaddon’s smile widened in cruelty. “The octopi have been such painful little thorns and I need your help in settling a few debts. Will you help me? If you do, I will _ensure_ you get your brother back.”

 

Dean licked his lips, his mind racing to consider Abaddon’s offer. He could say no and strike out on his own, or he could say yes to an ambiguous deal, and gain an upper hand. Finding Sam had to be his top priority.

 

“Going once,” she said. “Going twice-.”

 

“All right! I’ll take your deal.” He looked her over, wondering how dangerous she could really be.

  
She laughed and grasped onto his forearm. A burning light lit up his flesh and he screamed at the pain it caused him. When she let go, he stared down at the new mark on his flesh.

 

Looking up at her, he watched as Abaddon swam over to shelves which housed vials and bottles. She gathered up several, dumping them into a shallow bowl. Purple smoke bursted from the bowl, floating around the cavern, making Dean cough and sputter. Abaddon continued to cackle as she mixed the concoction. Dean felt his stomach twist into worried knots but he couldn’t stop her now. The mark burned on his arm, and he looked down at his flesh, puckered and red. Twisting his arm in his palm, Dean attempted to make the pain ebb away, but it remained itching right beneath the surface. He had to stop himself from digging against the wound.

 

“Come,” Abaddon cried, gesturing for him to come closer. “Drink.” She lifted the bowl in both of her hands.

 

He only hesitated a moment before Sam’s face flashed in his mind and he took the steps forward, placing his lips to the smooth brim. The liquid was tilted down his throat and Dean gagged; it tasted like salt, blood, and dirt, but it was as thick as oil as it sludged down his throat. The pain the mark had given him was nothing at all compared to the pain he felt after the concoction had been completely ingested. A scream buried in his chest, choked its way free, and Dean felt his body convulse, his eyes staring up at the dark ceiling. Abaddon continued to laugh.

 

He was changing, morphing. His legs began to stick together, binding themselves painfully, and his skin began to itch as it sloughed away to turn into scales instead. He screamed again and the pendant Castiel had given him was thrown off of his neck as his body locked up and seized. For a terrifying moment, Dean felt water flood into his lungs, drowning him, until he gave up, allowing the magick to work through his system, half conscious. Blood was running out of his mouth and he could feel his teeth collecting in his mouth, so he allowed his jaw to hang out, the human teeth clattering to the floor.

 

When he glanced up tiredly, he could see Abaddon grinning, her eyes glowing in the smoky darkness. Lucifer stayed beside her and the shark was awake, but there was something wrong with it. It was completely still, which seemed impossible, since Dean knew sharks had to stay moving to keep breathing, but it was hanging in the water, eerily stagnant. He tried to speak, but his voice would not come to him, and so Dean shut his eyes and allowed his body to sink to the floor like a rock.

 

****

 

“You know, Sam, I was quite jealous of Gadreel when he brought you in,” the yellow eyed octopus told him as he bustled around the room he had stuffed Sam into. “I wanted you for myself, you see.”

 

Sam gulped, flinching as he was fitted with a new collar, this one as cold as steel against his skin; it was almost too tight, and breathing became considerably harder. “Please, don’t eat me,” he whispered, unable to keep from begging for his life.

 

“I am not going to _eat_ you… but, how rude of me, I haven’t properly introduced myself.” The octopus spun to face him, laying a long clawed hand upon his chest, “I am Azazel.”

 

Sam nodded a bit, still feeling uneasy. “Why are we all alone?” Azazel had drug him to a lower level of the palace, where it was much darker and unused. He did not feel safe.

 

“Ah, my brothers and I do not get along,” Azazel explained offhandedly. “So, I have taken it upon myself to be in this part of the palace, while the others stay in the more used areas. Do not worry, you will be comfortable here… All you have to do is _submit_ to me.”

 

He did not like the sound of submitting to Azazel, even though he had no idea what that entailed. He shook his head stubbornly, which made Azazel frown. “No.”

 

“ _No_?! What do you mean, _no_? Foolish boy, without me, you would be _dead_. Gadreel cast you aside and that made you fair game! I _saved_ you.” Azazel cupped his cheek lightly, before digging his fingernails into the skin, pulling enough to make the water fill with blood. Sam cried out in pain.

 

“Let me go!” he screamed.

 

“No, Child, you are now _mine_. I own you and my pet you will remain until the end of your days… If you keep up your shenanigans, those days will not be very long.” Azazel released him and swam away, leaving him alone in the dark.

 

Sam went to swim forward but he choked as the collar kept him from going anywhere. It had a long chain on the back; he was chained to a column. Sinking back, Sam whimpered, curling up in on himself. If only he had not upset Gadreel… If only he had not disrespected him, he would not be in this predicament at all. Tearing up, Sam shut his eyes, and quietly began to pray for salvation.

 

****

 

When he was able to focus again, Dean realized he was breathing heavily. It wasn’t quite the same as the way he had breathed before. The second thing he realized was he was not in the cavern anymore, but wherever he was, it was dark. Dean slowly sat up, trying to brace his knees, but where his legs used to be, he had a tail. Gasping, Dean twisted his body around to look down at himself; he could see in the dark, compared to how he had seen while human, now he something else entirely. The tail started just above his pubic bone and it trailed down, long, and dark.

 

Flicking the end up toward his torso, Dean saw the end was tapered, except for the tip which fanned out long and black. Smirking, Dean thrust the tail enough to twist his body up off of the ocean floor and into the lighter waters. The sea witch’s cave was nowhere to be seen, and he was not sure where Abaddon or Lucifer had left him, but it didn’t matter. Dean glanced down at his forearm and saw along the backs, were more fins, webbed and just as black as his tail. In the light, Dean could see pale flecks of gold dusting along his tail in places - freckles?

 

He had freckles even as a sea creature?

 

Dean snorted and darted up to the surface to breach the water, splashing his tail joyously. Why had Castiel thought this was a bad idea? _Probably because you no longer belong to him. Thank God_. Dean laughed and began to swim off in the direction the sun set. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt _right_ , so he put all of his gusto into finding Sammy. His stomach was full, his heart was high, and the mark on his arm forgotten.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Sam’s muffled screams grew louder as he tried to get away from Azazel. The octopus had been feeding him his blood off and on for days. He was exhausted, his body ached, and he wanted to die. Not that he would have to wait long if Azazel had his way. Death was imminent - he had no idea how he knew that, but he did. He _knew_ he was going to die.

 

“You will _submit_ to me,” Azazel growled at him, even as he continued to struggle, “or I will cut off your toes.”

 

Sam sobbed. He wanted to be free. He _needed_ to be free. “Please, let me go,” he whimpered, staring up into the golden eyes. He had a feeling they would haunt him for the rest of his life.

 

Azazel barked out a laugh. “I will never let you go, _boy_. Not until you’re dead.”

 

Sam shut his eyes and started to pray someone would find him. Anyone. He would take _anyone_ over Azazel. A loud crash made him jerk and open his eyes. It also made Azazel dart away into the shadows to see what was going on. Sam pulled at his collar, desperate to be free.

 

“Sam?” came a hushed whisper.

 

He gasped, sitting up. “Samandriel?”

 

Samandriel appeared, darting over with large eyes. “Sam!”

 

“Shh!!” Sam hissed, glancing over to where Azazel had drifted off to. “You have to tell Gadreel. Please… Tell him I’m sorry, tell him I won’t disobey him ever again if he just helps me. Please!”

 

Samandriel bobbed his head and then he was swimming away as fast as he could. Sam sobbed in relief. Gadreel would surely not _let_ him stay with this awful creature - he did not seem keen on allowing for human cruelty. Azazel returned and Sam tried to keep his mouth shut, but the octopus was stronger than him. Soon, he was once again choking on blood.

 

“That’s a good boy,” Azazel hissed, massaging Sam’s throat to keep the blood from sticking.

 

The blood kept coming and Sam wanted to vomit it all back up. He wanted to die. Death would have been better than this. Tears streaming down his face, Sam jerked when he heard a horn sound through the water. It sounded like a battle horn. Or, at least, Sam _thought_ that was what a battle horn would sound like.

 

Azazel cursed and then in a cloud of ink he was gone. When the ink cleared, Samandriel was rushing over to be at his side, helping him sit up and spit up the blood in his mouth. “Sam,” he cried, “you’re safe now. Things are okay!”

 

Sam choked, sputtered, and sobbed, hugging himself in desperation to be comforted. He missed Dean. He wanted his brother _back_. He would have sold his soul to have Dean return to him. Another hand came to rest on his shoulder, while the other wrapped around his arm, and soon he was being lifted. The collar was coming free, he had no idea how, but he was being carried from the torture site.

 

When he looked up, he saw Gadreel’s stoic face and he sighed in relief. Sam pressed his face against Gadreel’s chest and shut his eyes. He wasn’t sure if this was Gadreel’s way of forgiving him or not, but he decided asking was probably not smart, so he stayed quiet. The palace felt warm and light as Gadreel carried him down the halls toward his old room. The doors were opened and then, soon, he was placed on the soft bed.

 

“You saved me,” he whispered, staring up at Gadreel with reverence. “Thank you.”

 

“I should  never have let you go,” Gadreel replied, looking ashamed. “I am sorry, Sam Winchester. I should have kept you safe. That was my duty and I failed you.”

 

Sam at up and reached for Gadreel, stretching his arms out. “You didn’t fail me,” he whispered. “I disobeyed you, I won’t do that ever again. You were just trying to protect me and I shamed you, I’m sorry.”

 

Gadreel slowly sank down onto the bed with him, a tentacle rising to push his hair back gently. “You did nothing wrong,” he replied. “I was angry and my pride wounded… but you were only doing as I had expected you to. You simply wanted to find your brother - if I had been in your shoes, I would have done the same thing. You have nothing to apologize for.”

 

Sam smiled a bit, sitting up and cupping Gadreel’s face in his hands. “Does this mean I can be yours again?”

 

Gadreel’s face softened and he pressed their foreheads together. “ _Yes_.”

 

His smile widened and he pressed his lips to Gadreel’s eagerly, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

 

“Shhhh,” Gadreel soothed, kissing back over and over.

 

“Can I have a new necklace?” he asked shyly, blushing when he felt Gadreel’s tentacles move all around him, pulling his clothing aside easily. It wasn’t long before he was nude and sitting on the bed with his face as red as some of the coral decorations on the walls.

 

“Of course,” Gadreel whispered, trailing his fingers along Sam’s chest to pluck at his nipples. “I will have a new one made for you.”

 

Sam moaned, his legs parting wide, knowing he looked like one of the whore freefloaters. He didn’t care. Gadreel’s eyes traveled down along his body, raking along him, practically fucking him with just a few glances. He whimpered and began to stroke himself, watching as Gadreel’s tentacles lit up and began to glow in places. One coy smile later, and Gadreel’s tentacles were all over his body.

 

Sam sighed as one pulsed along his chest, another wrapped around his cock, and the last was pressing against his entrance, teasing against his rim, until he was practically shaking with anticipation. Gadreel helped him sit up, rubbing, and teasing his entire body, pressing their mouths together in an eager and needy seal.

 

“Oh Gadreel,” he sighed, draping his arms over the stronger man’s shoulders. “I feel so good.”

 

Gadreel smiled, and something slick and wet was working its way along his rim, making Gadreel kiss and bite his neck. Sam groaned, his head falling back. A thin tentacle was making its way inside of him, teasing just the inside of his rim. He gasped, almost pulling away, but Gadreel held him steady, easing it in further. He cried out when he felt the appendage stretch him further - it burned but the more Gadreel worked, the easier it became, and there was some still something wet easing its way inside to the make the slide easier.

 

“You make me very happy, Sam Winchester,” Gadreel whispered, kissing his neck again. “May I seal our bond?”

 

Sam panted, his thighs trembling - he was close to finishing, so he nodded. “Please-.”

 

Gadreel’s mouth worked its way down to his collar bone and began to suck and bite. It hurt. Sam whimpered at the pain and the pleasure, all mixing together, to make him feel as if he were being turned inside out. Sam cried out as he began to come, the pleasure too great for him to hold back. Gadreel groaned, licking and sucking at the bite on his collarbone. Slowly, the tentacle slid out from him, feeling limp.

 

“You are… amazing,” Gadreel whispered, kissing the bite one last time. “And mine. You are _mine_.”

 

Sam smiled, nuzzling along Gadreel’s face and neck. “Thank you. Thank you.”

 

For a moment, Sam forgot about Dean and his strife. He forgot about Azazel and the blood feeding. He _forgot_ about everything awful. Gadreel had him and he would keep him safe for as long as he was breathing.

 

****

 

The kingdom of the octopi was more beautiful and formidable than Dean could have ever imagined. He approached with caution, unsure if they would even let him in, seeing as he had a mercreature’s tail and not tentacles, but he swam up to the gates anyway. The guards came to attention as soon as he approached, timid, and trying to appear small, just in case.

 

“What are you doing here?” one of them asked him.

 

“I’m here to see Sam Winchester.”

 

“Sam Winchester?”

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah. He’s my brother.”

 

“Sam WInchester is a human.”

 

Dean sighed. “Yeah, I know, it’s a long story. Maybe I please see him?” He stared at the gates desperately. “He’s probably been worried about me.”

 

The guard glanced at his companion before slowly starting to lift the gates. Dean moved forward, feeling his chest swell with excitement. _Finally_ he would be seeing Sam. He could wrap his arms around Sam and then give him an awkward explanation as to why he no longer had legs. But the point was, was that he could have Sam back.

 

“Take him to Gadreel,” the guard said to a younger octopus, waiting on the other side. He nodded and then Dean eagerly followed back through halls and doorways. He didn’t pay attention to the decor or what anything looked like; the only thought on his mind was his brother.

 

“Who’s Gadreel?” he asked once they were far enough away.

 

“Sam belongs to him.”

 

“Oh… Right.” Dean nodded, remembering his time with Castiel. “Does Gadreel treat him well?”

 

“I have no idea.”

 

“Right… Okay.” He sighed and felt his stomach burst into nervous knots. If this Gadreel wasn’t treating Sam right, he’d shiv him. They came to a set of doors and Dean hardly waited for an allowance to enter, he simply threw open the door, and burst in. The octopus in the room was equivalent to his size, but he looked proud, his back straight, and his jaw firm.

 

“Are you Gadreel?” he demanded.

 

“Yes,” Gadreel replied slowly. “Who are you?”

 

“I’m Dean Winchester and I want to see my brother _now_.” Dean straightened his back, his fists clenched, jaw tight. “And I mean right now.”

 

Gadreel opened his mouth, looking more relaxed than a moment ago, but then he snatched onto Dean’s wrist and flipped his arm over. “....the Mark,” he hissed. When he looked at Dean again, his eyes were wide with horror. “Guards! Guards!”

 

Dean yanked out of Gadreel’s grasp, turning to dart away, but there were guards coming for him and they soon had him surrounded. “I want to see Sam!” he screamed back at Gadreel. “You _bastard_!”

 

“Lock him away,” Gadreel growled. “If he goes near Sam, kill him.”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

Dean screamed and fought, but he was being dragged down the hall, so he screamed Sam’s name the whole way to a dungeon cell, where they chained his wrists to the rock wall. It was dark and cold - it reminded him of Castiel’s cave. Somehow, he was not surprised this had become his fate. Perhaps, it was karma, coming back around on him for leaving Castiel behind.

 

“You gotta let me go,” he said desperately, but the guards were leaving. “I want to see Sam!!”

 

Silence answered him.

 

****

 

Sam burst into Gadreel’s office, rushing over to his desk. “Is it true?” he gasped.

 

“Is what true?” Gadreel asked, looking up from his work.

 

“Is it true that Dean is _here_? In the castle?” He had heard some workers talking while wandering around during his free time. If they were right that meant Gadreel had been keeping Dean from him, and he wanted to  know _why_.

 

“It is true.”

 

Sam glowered, his hands forming into fists. “Why didn’t you tell me?! I want to see him!”

 

Gadreel sighed and turned a book around, pressing a finger to a drawing of the Mark of Cain. “ _That_ is why I kept your brother from you, Sam.”

 

Frowning, Sam picked up the book to inspect the page and drawing. “What is it?”

 

“It is the Mark of Cain… the oldest mark in our world,” Gadreel replied slowly, his voice monotone. “Your brother... “ He shut his eyes and shook his head. “Your brother must be executed.”

 

“ _What_?” Sam gasped. “NO!”

 

“I am sorry, Sam, but if he has this, he is with the enemy… and I cannot allow that.”

 

Sam threw the book back in Gadreel’s face. “I _hate_ you!” he screamed. “I want to see Dean right now!”

 

“I cannot allow-.”

 

Sam snatched onto the new collar Gadreel had made for him; it was much more elaborate than the first. It was still the black pearls but it was fitted with golden charms - shells, seahorses, octopuses, fish, and starfish, as well as a larger golden S.

 

“You _will_ allow,” he snarled dangerously, “or I rip this off and forsake you and me.”

 

Gadreel’s face drained of color, as did his tentacles, before he nodded and called for Samandriel. The younger octopus appeared almost directly after, with a smile on his face. “Please, take Sam to see his brother.”

 

“Sure. C’mon Sam.”

 

Glaring at Gadreel one more time, Sam followed Samandriel out of the room and down the hallway. They came to a stairwell which spiraled down to the darker levels of the palace. It grew colder and so dark that Sam feared he would not be able to see anything, but Samandriel held onto his wrist and then when they rounded a corner, there were glowing sconces on the walls. The light was weak but it was enough.

 

“It’s freezing,” Sam said, rubbing his arms.

 

“I know, I’m sorry, we’ll be upstairs again soon,” Samandriel replied as they continued past rows of barred doors. “I’m sorry this is happening to your brother.”

 

“He _isn’t_ the enemy,” Sam snarled angrily. “I hate that they think this.”

 

“Well, maybe you can convince Gadreel differently,” Samandriel said. “He’s right down there. I’ll give you privacy.”

 

“Thanks.” Sam took a deep breath and walked down the hall, peering into each room timidly until he finally found one with an occupant. The thing on the ground, sitting, and wriggling did not _seem_ like Dean - for one thing, it didn’t have legs, it had a tail, and fins.

 

“Dean?” he asked slowly, his head tilting.

 

Dean jerked and looked over at him. “Sam?! Sam!”

 

“Dean? What… _happened_ to you?” Sam grasped onto the bars, his eyes wide, slowly falling to his knees.

 

“I- I made a deal,” Dean muttered, trying to break free. “To find you! I was found by this… _really_ crazy octopus named Castiel and I almost _starved_ , Sammy. Then- Then this _guy_ named Lucifer showed up… And, well, I made a deal to become a mermaid so I could survive and find you!”

 

Sam stammered. “You got turned _into_ a mermaid?”

 

“Yeah.” He looked over at Sam with wide eyes. “The octopus… the one who found me… Totally incompetent, man. It was bad… but I’m _not_ the enemy, okay? Tell your… octopus… lover… husband…. guy that I’m _not_ the enemy! I just want you back- I just want to be around you, to know you’re safe.”

 

“I am,” Sam whispered. “What was the octopus’ name?”

 

“Castiel.”

 

“Okay… I believe you.” Sam slowly stands up. “I’m going to help you, okay?”

 

“Thanks, Sammy. Try to do it before they kill me, yeah?” Dean smiled weakly and Sam wanted to start crying.

 

“Okay,” he whispered as he pushed himself onto his feet and shakily walked down the hallway back to Samandriel. “Do… Do you know a Castiel?”

 

Samandriel’s eyes widened. “ _Castiel_? He’s banished….”

 

“Dean said he was found by Castiel. We have to find him, to help prove Dean’s story. Quickly.” Sam stared at Samandriel hard. “Or they’ll kill Dean.”

 

“I know someone who may be able to help.”

 

****

 

There was an entire city outside of the palace, which Sam had never known about, but as he and Samandriel made their way around ocean rock, he was stunned by the vastness. It truly _was_ a kingdom. There were streets, a market place, and the hustling and bustling of the surface world. Sam’s jaw hung open as Samandriel pulled him through the market. They passed booths selling different objects, many of them, Sam didn’t recognize.

 

“I didn’t know this was here,” he finally gasped to Samandriel in true wonder. “Gadreel never told me.”

 

“How do you think we get all of our food and finer things? We trade for them.” Samandriel smiled proudly. “I will take you here again when time is not of the essence, I promise.”

 

“Where are we going?” They were headed for the dirtier part of town, a part of town Sam was more accommodated to. He was used to the slums, but this place still felt more dangerous than the slums he had been living in.

 

“We are going to find Castiel’s brother. Gabriel.” Samandriel ducked behind a few buildings, swimming down a narrow alleyway where the light was swallowed up by the surrounding darkness. Sam followed timidly, wishing he were more brave like Dean. Dean had been so brave he had become inhuman to find him.

 

“Where is he?” Sam whispered. He continued walking forward until he almost ran into Samandriel from behind, his eyes having trouble adjusting. They were in front of a broken piece of plank, which Sam supposed was a door.

 

“Hopefully, at home,” Samandriel replied as he pushed the door open. “Gabriel?!”

 

There was a grunt and then a man with wild eyes, golden hair, and a bottle in hand appeared at the door. “Oh… it’s you,” he said, taking a swig of the bottle. Sam had a feeling it wasn’t kelp water he was drinking.

 

“This is Sam Winchester, he’s looking for-.”

 

“I don’t know where Castiel is and I don’t even know where to start looking.”

 

“This is Gabriel,” Samandriel continued to Sam as if Gabriel hadn’t just spoken. “You _always_ know where Castiel is.”

 

Gabriel was the color of gold with bronze speckles. He was rather beautiful in Sam’s opinion. “I don’t know where he is.”

 

“You could find him,” Samandriel insisted. “You’re his nest-brother, you’re in tune with him. You can find him more easily than anyone else in the ocean.”

 

Gabriel sighed. “What do you people want with Castiel _now_? Hm? Didn’t have enough fun torturing him while he was around to do so?”

 

Sam stepped around Samandriel so he could meet Gabriel’s eyes. “I’m Sam Winchester, my brother Dean Winchester, is in a lot of trouble… Your brother was owned by him, according to Dean, and while he said some not-so-nice things about Castiel, I would like to find him, to see if he would help us.”

 

Gabriel’s eyes widened and his tentacles drained of their color, becoming sickly gray. “Castiel owned your brother?” he whispered.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And your brother is… still alive?”

 

Sam blinked, feeling concerned. “...Yes.”

 

Gabriel’s color returned with a glowing flourish and he whooped, hugging Sam tightly. “Oh, thank Neptune!” he cried.

 

“Will you help us find him?”

 

Gabriel nodded excitedly. “Yes. Yes- I will… I just… if your brother was taken from him, Castiel may be harder to find…”

 

“He wasn’t taken,” Sam said. “Dean said he left. He said Castiel had been starving him.”

 

Gabriel cursed and turned, grabbing a trident from against the wall. “Well, I know where we’ll find him… but when we get close enough, you’ll have to leave it to me. Okay? He’s very shy.”

 

“Okay,” Sam said. “Thank you.”

 

“No, thank you.” Gabriel darted between them and they were left to scramble and catch up.

 

****

 

There was a pulsing in the water. It was different than other vibrations - it wasn’t food, it wasn’t an enemy, and it wasn’t something passing through. Castiel slowly opened his eyes, to see a shape floating high above him. The pulsing grew louder, more insistent, it was similar to his name. Castiel recognized the call and he hissed angrily. Gabriel was here.

 

He did not need Gabriel. Not now, not ever.

 

“Castiel? Are you down there? Castiel?!”

 

Growling, Castiel sunk lower between the rocks.

 

“Cas! Cas, your cave- it’s- it’s all destroyed…” Gabriel sounded horrified, but Castiel stayed hidden. “Cas, c’mon, please come out…”

 

Castiel could sense Gabriel approaching but he stayed hidden between crevices, growling a warning. “Go away, Gabriel!”

 

Gabriel swam up to where he was hidden, poking his face in. “Hey- …..hey there Cas.” From the loon on his brother’s face, changing from happiness to horror, Castiel knew he had changed. He didn’t look the same, he could feel it in his blood. “Hey brother… How are you?”

 

“Go away,” he hissed again.

 

Gabriel eased his hand in slowly. “You should come out Cas… please?”

 

“ _No_.” Castiel pulled away further, pushing back into the dark. “Dean didn’t want me!”

 

“Dean? Dean, your human?” Gabriel asked, his voice soft and lilting. Castiel knew Gabriel was attempting to coax him out into the light. “The one you kept _alive_?”

 

“Barely,” he mumbled.

 

“But you _did_ , Cas! And… he needs your help… I know you cared about him, didn’t you Cas? I bet you did everything you could to help him, but they didn’t know Cas. Dean didn’t know you’re just a baby, that you’re still learning… that you never got the proper _training_ to care for a person.” Gabriel reached into the rock further. “Dean is in trouble, Castiel. Gadreel and the others are going to kill him, and only _you_ can save him.”

 

Castiel jerked his head up, his eyes widening. “Dean is in danger?” he whispered, his voice hoarse and cracking. “They… they wish to kill him?”

 

Gabriel nodded solemnly. “You can save him, Cas. _You_.” A small smile flitted across his brother’s face. “Come on, let’s go out and save Dean.”

 

Castiel slowly slid his hand into Gabriel’s and stared as it was drawn into the light. Compared to his brother, who was more or less a healthy pink, his skin was gray and flaking. His hands were nothing more than bones, the webbing between his fingers, brittle and cracked. As Gabriel helped draw him out, Castiel saw his arm - thin, spotted, gray, and the skin breaking and cracked - and he flinched. He knew he looked awful.

 

“...Oh Cas,” Gabriel whispered, reaching up to cup his face tenderly. “What _happened_ to you?”

 

He flinched and turned away from Gabriel’s eyes, wanting to sink into the ground. His tentacles were thin and drooping, an ugly gray, just like the rest of his skin. “I am sorry,” he whispered.

 

“Hey- hey- _no_.” Gabriel cupped his face in both of his hands. “This is _not_ your fault. It’s mine, I should have… I should have protected you, Castiel! I failed you as your brother, I’m so sorry… But, you can stay with me, I’m sure Gadreel will come to reason.”

 

He nodded. “Will you take me to Dean now?”

 

“Yes.” Gabriel slid his tentacles through Castiel’s to hold, and then began to float off to where Sam and Samandriel waited. “Cas, this is Sam… Dean’s brother.”

 

Sam smiled a little. “Hi Cas… Thank you for doing this. Dean’s… everything to me.”

 

Castiel looked Sam over and he could see Dean’s likeness in him, it was subtle, but there. “Dean spoke of you, Sam… often.” He looked away then, unable to look Sam in the eye. It was _his_ fault Dean had been turned into a mercreature and was now to be slaughtered by his people. It was _his_ fault because he hadn’t simply taken Dean to find Sam. “It is my fault,” he said, even though Sam had turned to swim on.

 

Sam slowly turned back to look at him. “What is?”

 

Castiel bit his lip, staring at the ocean floor sadly. “I would not take Dean to see you, which was all he had wanted… It is my fault… It is my fault he is in this mess, I take full responsibility.”

 

Sam nodded a little. “It’s okay, just help me get him free, and everything is forgiven.”

 

Castiel took a deep breath and quietly followed the others. They had only been swimming for a few minutes before Castiel felt winded. “I can’t- Gabriel…”

 

Gabriel wrapped his arms around him. “I’ll carry you, Cas.”

 

“I’m… tired.”

 

“You’re weak. We’ll get food in you _very_ soon.” Gabriel kept his arms around Castiel to keep him afloat. “But first, Dean. Remember, Dean?”

 

He nodded, leaning against his brother all the way back to the kingdom. He didn’t even care if they threw _him_ in jail, he just wanted to keep Dean alive. As they came over the hill to stare down at the kingdom, Castiel felt it- something in the water. It was wrong. Stagnant. Cold. Wrong.

 

“Something is wrong,” he whispered in Gabriel’s ear.

 

“I know…” Gabriel replied quietly. “Samandriel, keep Sam here.”

 

Castiel clung to Gabriel’s shoulders as they swam forward. He could see the gates were open, which was not normal, and as they entered, Castiel could smell the blood. The water was full of it. He gagged, coughing, and wrenching free of Gabriel’s arms.

 

“Dean!” he screamed as he swam past dead body after dead body. There were so many dead, slaughtered. “Dean!”

 

Gabriel remained close to him, on edge. “We have to find Gadreel.”

 

Castiel nodded, staring around the palace with wide eyes. He barely had any memory of the palace itself, since his family had lived in the city outside of it, but he knew it was not meant to be this quiet. Perhaps everyone was in hiding. Considering the amount of death surrounding, Castiel didn’t blame them. As they made their way down the hall, Castiel could see blood spattered along the walls, leading all of the way to a set of doors with green seahorses.

 

Gabriel pushed the door open and slowly made his way inside. “Gadreel?” he called weakly.

 

The smell of death was so pungent that Castiel almost stayed in the hallway, but he followed timidly, growling slightly when he saw a hand hanging out of the door. Gabriel hissed and Castiel peered over his shoulder. Gadreel lay on the floor, face down, unmoving.

 

“He’s dead,” Gabriel whispered, stunned.

 

Castiel approached slowly, trying to flip Gadreel onto his back, but the bigger octopus snatched onto his arm and sat up with a gasp, blood staining his neck, chest, and tentacles, sticking in his hair.

 

“Castiel?” Gadreel asked, his eyes wide with shock. “Cas- Castiel.”

 

“Where is Dean?” he whispered.

 

“ _Gone_ … He- We were going to execute him… He… The Mark- on his _arm_. He killed so many… I am not sure if anyone in the palace is _alive_.” Gadreel coughed and blood flooded into the water. “Tell Sam, I care for him-.”

 

“You will not die,” Castiel said firmly, viciously. “You cannot die, Sam _needs_ you to stay alive. You must stay alive for your human.”

 

Gadreel nodded weakly, swallowing. “I’ve lost, much blood-.”

 

“Then you rest. Gabriel will watch over you.” Castiel turned to face Gabriel. “Right?”

 

“Cas-.”

 

“ _Right_?”

 

Gabriel nodded and went to rest by Gadreel. “I will keep him safe.”

 

Gadreel’s grip tightened along Castiel’s arm. “Protect Sam, Castiel… Protect Sam and you may return.”

 

He nodded, uncaring to return at all, he just wanted to find Dean. Rising up, Castiel fled the room to begin his return to the others, fighting his tiredness. There were so many dead bodies he wanted to mourn them all, but instead, Castiel traveled toward the kitchens to find food to eat. They were mostly deserted, so he snatched up all he could to shove his face as he swam.

 

_“_ _The Mark- on his arm,”_ Gadreel had whispered.

 

The Mark… The Mark…

 

“Oh no,” Castiel muttered, dropping the food in his hands and dashing out of the kitchen back to Samandriel and Sam. They were going to need a lot more help than they currently.

 

****

 

The Mark burned.

 

Dean stared down at his arm, breathing heavily, his teeth clenched together tightly, as he saw the Mark burning red hot on his arm. It glowed red and angry, even now after he had killed so many. A devastated scream left his throat as he clawed at his arm, wanting the Mark _off_. The sea witch had tricked him - he had _killed_ people. Innocent people.

 

Sam would never forgive him for killing his lover.

 

Sam would be disappointed in him.

 

A dark chuckle made him whirl around and he was confronted by Abaddon and Lucifer. “ _Very_ good,” Abaddon praised. “Very good, my pet, doing so well already… and we haven’t even really gotten to the good part yet.”

 

“Get this thing off of me!” Dean screamed.

 

Abaddon laughed. “Fat chance, pretty boy. You’re mine now… There is only one other person who can take that Mark and he will never take it back.”

 

“ _Who_?” Dean growled.

 

“Cain… He will never take it from you, _boy_.” Abaddon snatched his wrist and held him still. “You are my weapon now… I will defeat these awful creatures and I will _rule_ every ocean.” She smiled slowly. “I’ll even let you have some of the spoils. That little octopus who hurt you in the beginning, you can _have_ him. Treat him as he did to you.”

 

Dean snarled, feeling extremely protective. “You won’t touch Castiel, I’ll bite your _fucking_ hands off!”

  
“Oh, yes, I like you feisty,” she said with a slow smile. “Come Dean, we have work for you.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

“What happened?” Where’s Dean?” Sam demanded as Castiel rounded the corner. “Where’s Gadreel?”

 

Castiel bit his lip and swished his tentacles around out of nervous habit. “Gadreel is hurt- _but_ Gabriel is looking after him… It-It seems Dean has… The _Mark_.”

 

Samandriel gasped in horror and Sam frowned, turning between them, wishing he understood. “I don’t understand, what is the Mark?”

 

“It is an ancient mark,” Samandriel replied, his voice dropping down to a whisper. “It is evil… How did get it?”

  
Castiel gritted his teeth because he had a feeling he knew _how_. “Lucifer,” he hissed, “Lucifer took Dean from me and brought him to the sea witch! This is Lucifer’s doing, I just know it.”

 

“What can we do?” Sam asked. “We have to save him!”

Castiel nodded and turned to face Samandriel. “I want you to take Sam _far_ away… Get him to safety. Anywhere is better than here. Take him to the surface if you must, I am going to find Cain.”

 

“Cas, it’s too dangerous!” Samandriel protested.

 

“I have to do _something_ and I can’t let Dean face this on his own.” Castiel shook his head and shoved his shoulders back. For once, he would be brave; he would fight, he would hunt, he would do what he had to keep Dean safe and alive. Even if Dean didn’t want him, he would still do what he could to help.

 

“I don’t want to go anywhere!” Sam protested. “Please, let me help…”

 

“You will only slow me down,” Castiel replied, trying to sound less harsh than he had meant it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Sam’s help, but having to tote a human around whilst on a life-saving journey was just _not_ the smart route. “I am sorry Sam, I have to do this on my own.”

 

Sam huffed and stared but Samandriel wrapped his tentacles and fingers around his arms to hold him steady. “Good luck, Castiel,” Samandriel said solemnly.

 

Castiel nodded, gave Sam one more sad look, and then turned and swam away. He would hunt along the way; the last he had heard, Cain could be found in the North, in the colder waters. It wouldn’t be _fun_ by any means, but he had to do it for Dean. Besides, if he proved himself to Gadreel , he could return. He hadn’t gotten far before pausing and wheeling around. Gadreel had put _him_ in charge of Sam, not Samandriel.

 

“Samandriel, wait!” he cried, rushing after them.

 

Samandriel paused, turning to face Castiel. “What is it?”

 

He drew several ragged breaths, needing to rest soon. “Gadreel… put me… in charge… of Sam- I guess… you must… come… with me,” he panted, trying to breathe normally, but the more he thought on how horrible his breathing was going, the harder it was to relax.

 

“Oh,” Samandriel said and Sam visibly relaxed. “If you insist… Castiel, you should rest, you are not looking well at all.”

 

Castiel gulped, suddenly wanting Gabriel and not Samandriel to join them. If anyone would be good in a fight, it would be his brother. They had not grown up pampered in a palace; he and Gabriel were used to living it rough. “Samandriel, do you want to go? Or would you rather stay for Gadreel? I can ask Gabriel to come with me…”

 

Samandriel’s eyes widened. “I have to help Sam-.”

 

Sam turned to him. “It’s okay, I’d rather have you watch over Gadreel… I mean, no offense Cas, but I know Samandriel and I don’t know your brother. I am sure he’d be fine with Gadreel but-.”

 

“Sam is right,” Castiel cut him off. “You can be trusted with Gadreel, Samandriel. You should watch over him, keep him safe, and Gabriel will travel with us.”

 

Samandriel’s face fell but slowly he relinquished a nod and turned to go back into the palace. Castiel waited, feeling bad for turning Samandriel away, but they were going to need someone who knew how to be mean. Samandriel was not that person. It wasn’t long before Gabriel showed up, looking confused.

 

“You told me to stay…” Gabriel started, but Castiel was quick to cut him off.

 

“We have to find Cain, Gabriel.”

 

This time, it was Gabriel’s turn to widen his eyes. “Damn it.”

 

****

 

Blood made the water cloudy and dark.

 

The only sounds feeling Dean’s ears were a high pitched ringing and his own labored breathing. His eyes focused on shadows moving in the water while the Mark burned on his arm; pulsating insistently.

 

_Kill_.

 

_Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._

 

“Stop it,” Dean growled, shaking his head, trying to return to himself. As the water cleared, his eyes widened at the horror surrounding him. There were dead bodies all over; strewn around like dolls. Lifeless, torn apart, and destroyed. Had he done that?

 

“ _Well_ done,” Abaddon purred as she appeared from the darkness. “You’re progressing so quickly, I’m impressed.”

 

Dean snarled, his eyes darkening as he stared at her. If he could control himself long enough, he would kill her and Lucifer too. “What the hell did you do to me?” he hissed, trying not to focus on the dead merpeople. She had taken him into the city and killed those who had denied her.

 

“We made you into the _perfect_ killing machine,” she said, cupping his face and patting his cheek like a mother would. Every gesture she made had a feeling of mockery, as if she found herself to be better than him. “You’ll grow to like it… Even _love_ it.”

 

“I don’t want to hurt people!” he cried, the panic in his voice making it rise a few decibels. He felt like a child again, lost and afraid. “I never want to hurt people.”

 

Abaddon chuckled darkly. “Don’t worry, pet, you will… Imagine… _paying back_ your father… The Elders. We will _rule_ the world.” She trailed her finger along his bottom lip, smiling cruelly as her other hand came up to grip his hair and pulled his head back. “My perfect little monster.”

 

Dean glared at her, baring his teeth angrily. “Fuck you, lady.”

 

“Perhaps,” she replied with a wink. Dean snarled in response, which made her laugh. “We are going to have an _excellent_ time, you and I. Speaking of having a good time, I have a _gift_ for you.”

 

Dean frowned, his body ready to coil up and run away. He would have gladly taken Castiel over this crazy broad. Castiel was crazy, but he was sweet about it; he didn’t _want_ to hurt people. Dean could feel the guilt of trying to kill Castiel eat at him, it was on his mind more often than not. Plus Sam. If _Sam_ knew he was a killer now? The thought made his stomach drop.

 

Abaddon took a box which Lucifer offered her. When she opened it, Dean recoiled, but he felt his arm reach up against his own will. There was a blade inside the box; it didn’t _look_ like a normal blade, in fact it didn’t look harmful at all, but Dean _knew_. He knew if he reached into that box, took the blade - he would be unstoppable.

 

“Take it,” she whispered, a slow grin forming on her face. “Take it my pet and we will _rule_ the ocean.”

 

Dean wrapped his fingers around the handle of the blade, picking it up; he had expected it to feel heavy, but it was light in his hands, barely any weight at all. As soon as the blade rested in his hands, Dean felt a thirst build in his body - not a thirst for water or food.

 

A thirst for blood. For lives. He wanted to _kill_.

 

_Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._

 

“No,” he growled to no one in particular. “No!”

 

“ _Yes_ ,” Abaddon insisted, her voice snaking to him through the blackness in his mind. His vision was turning red. “We are going to rule the ocean. We are going to-.”

 

She cut off with a choked sound. Dean stared at her, snarling in anger as he twisted the blade into her gut. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what he had done. When he yanked the blade free, Dean slashed it across her chest, face, and tail. Her blood clouded the water in trails of crimson fire. His breathing came in raggedly again, his arm shaking. Another voice was beginning to filter back to him - soft, lilting, soothing.

 

“Dean… Dean, it’s okay. She’s gone now.”

 

Finally, Dean snapped out of the red and stared at Abaddon’s body, floating to the bottom. He hadn’t meant to kill her, but if anyone had deserved to die, it was Abaddon. His eyes stared up at Lucifer, who looked too happy to see Abaddon dead. Considering Dean had thought them friends, he felt even more perturbed at the cruel smile on his face.

 

“You look too happy,” Dean said.

 

Lucifer’s grin widened, contorting his face obscenely. “I never really liked her,” he replied casually. “But, I think I know how to put the Mark to _good_ use… You see, Abaddon wished to rule the ocean.” Lucifer paused to tsk in dismay. “However, that ambition is too high… I wish to rule something… more easily attainable.”

 

“What?” Dean breathed, not really wanting to be a part of Lucifer’s machine either.

 

“Humans.”

 

****

 

“So, where is Cain anyway?” Sam asked for about the sixth time.  

 

Castiel continued onward, trying to ignore the humans’ questions, simply because he had no answer. He hadn’t had an answer the first time, and he certainly didn’t have one now. Gabriel, however, was quick to indulge Sam, telling him that they were sure to find Cain _soon_ , especially if Sam _stopped asking_.

 

The last Castiel had heard of Cain, he was that the man had gone into hiding after his brother and wife had been killed. Castiel did not blame Cain for leaving; he knew what it was like to looked at differently for a death.

 

“Well, why did he leave?” Sam prompted.

 

“He got blamed for killing his wife,” Gabriel replied offhandedly. “Took off and went into hiding because people thought he was a pariah.”

 

“But he didn’t kill her?”

 

“No,” Castiel said. “Humans did.”

 

“Humans?” Sam said. Castiel glanced back and saw there was a frown between Sam’s eyebrows.

 

“Yes,” he replied heavily. “Humans used to fish us out of the ocean… Kill us, put us up as trophies… But then, we grew stronger in number. So, we decided to repay you all by taking up an offered sacrifice.”

 

“But you don’t kill us,” Sam pointed out.

 

“Nah,” Gabriel replied with a wave of his hand. “Humans don’t exactly _taste_ good, you know. Not to mention, you guys are _way_ more fun to have around the house as pets anyway.”

 

Castiel turned away from Sam, trying to keep his mind off of Dean, but as soon as Gabriel mentioned humans and pets, his mind returned to Dean. He missed Dean. Even though Dean had been angry with him and had been cruel to him - tried to kill him even, Castiel still ached for Dean anyway. They hadn’t had a chance to seal their bond… and Castiel feared they would _never_ have that chance. Especially since Dean was not a mercreature.

 

“Cas?” Gabriel whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

 

He nodded sadly. “I just… miss Dean is all.”

 

“I’m sure he misses you too,” Gabriel said.

 

Castiel snorted. If Dean missed him it would be grand news. “Doubtful,” he replied coldly.

 

“How do we find Cain, Castiel?” The question was hissed into his ear, since neither of them really _knew_ what they were doing.

 

“He left,” Castiel said slowly, “but he always… enjoyed sun and… the surface.”

 

Gabriel nodded slowly. “How the hell do you remember this kind of shit? You were like… the size of my left sucker cup when he left.”

 

“I don’t,” Castiel replied. “But I listen.”

 

Gabriel didn’t respond to that and they continued onward. Castiel had a feeling he knew where Cain could be found - if the rumors were true, he would be found near one of the Southern islands. It was warm and Cain would be able to live on land and stay in the sea when he needed to rehydrate. They didn’t exactly expect to find Cain on a makeshift sea cucumber farm.

 

“Sea cucumbers?” Gabriel asked in disbelief. “Is he for real?”

 

“Hush, Gabriel.”

 

Sam clung to Gabriel’s arm and tentacles, clearly unsure if he should touch the creatures. “What are those things?”

 

“Sea cucumbers,” Castiel replied, swimming up until he broke the surface, flinching at the bright sunlight. Having gotten used to the deep, being up under the sun was excruciating. But for Dean. he would do anything.

 

“Cas, wait!” Gabriel called, but Castiel ignored him, continuing up onto the sand. There were sucker marks and trails from where a heavy octopus had made its way across the beach, so Castiel followed them up to a shack. It made him frown, and already Castiel desired to return to the ocean, but he steeled himself and knocked on the door.

 

“Cain?”

 

“Who’s there?” came a gruff voice from within.

 

“My name is Castiel and I need your help.”

 

“I don’t want to help anybody. Leave.”

 

Castiel bit his lip and opened the door even though he hadn’t been invited to do so. Cain was there, sitting in a pail of ocean water as he continued to look through his array of... _things_. Human things, Castiel realized; in another life he would have felt his heart soar in excitement, but his human objects were long gone, and Dean was more important than forks and plates.

 

“My name is Castiel and I had a human, named Dean, but he’s in trouble, and we need your help… To remove the Mark,” Castiel said slowly. “I don’t know how you can take it back, or if you can, but he’s in over his head. Please.”

 

Cain snorted and shook his head slightly. “He _would_ be in over his head,” the man remarked slowly. “That Mark ain’t for everyone.”

 

“ _Tell_ me how to fix him,” Castiel snarled, moving closer. He was tempted to dip his tentacle into the bucket of water, since he could feel his body drying out, but he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries.

 

Cain looked over at him, his eyes full of a lost pain, unspoken and deep. “It’s more complicated than you’d think.”

 

“I will do anything,” Castiel insisted, reaching forward to grasp onto Cain’s arm without thinking twice.

 

“Anything?” Cain repeated. “You would do _anything_ for this human?”

 

“ _Yes_ ,” Castiel said with a firm nod. “Anything… I care for him, I want to save him. I want to help him.”

 

Cain sighed. “Follow me.”

 

Castiel eased back as Cain pulled himself out of the bucket, and together they made their way back into the water. Gabriel and Sam remained off to the side and Castiel shrugged slightly as they passed, heading toward some unknown. He wanted to ask, but he held his tongue, instead following Cain deeper amongst the sea cucumbers. His eyes grew wide at some of the size of the creatures, but eventually, Cain took him upon a mound of sand and rock that was not quite like the rest.

 

“What’s this?” Castiel finally asked, not wanting to live in the silence any longer.

 

“The grave of my wife,” Cain replied dully, his eyes staring at the makeshift headstone. It was from a ship; a figurehead of a mermaid. “I killed her.”

 

Castiel stammered, unsure of how to respond to such a statement. “You… you _what_?”

 

“I killed her,” Cain repeated. “It was accidental- she was... The sea witch had my Colette in her claws and… I was trying to _kill_ Abaddon and-.” Cain cut off, his voice growing too emotional.

 

“You killed your wife,” Castiel said, “but it was an accident?” Cain nodded and Castiel felt his stomach drop. He knew what it was like to kill someone on accident. “I’ve… I’ve done that too… Killed someone on accident.”

 

Cain glanced over at him and sighed. “Then, perhaps, we have more in common than I first thought.”

 

“Tell me how to help Dean.”

 

“You won’t like it,” Cain said, approaching him with a stern face. “Not one bit.”

 

Castiel gulped. “Just tell me.”

 

“Part of the battle has to come from him,” Cain began, “he has to fight the beast within him…. But some of it will have to come from someone who loves him. Do you _love_ him, Castiel?”

 

“I think so,” Castiel said slowly, nodding. “I mean, he tried to kill me, and I still feel something for him. So, yes, I believe I do love him. I care about him very much.”

 

Cain sighed, turning sad eyes to the grave of his fallen wife. “I loved her,” he lamented, “and she loved me… which was her downfall.”

 

The water felt colder than before; the sunlight dimmer, as if the world had decided to hold its breath in waiting. “Do I have to die?”

 

Cain nodded slowly. “Yes.”

 

 


End file.
